I can now see that. It’s why I asked about processing multiple applicants without being rude, abrupt or unnecessarily tedious. Thanks.
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Some sitters seem somewhat sensitive to the “job” analogy. Unfortunately, sitter applications and the interview process is very much like a job search. There’s no way around that. Sitters are expressing an interest in an advertised sit (job) opportunity and the HO is trying to find the right match for that sit (job). I understand that sitters don’t want to be treated like hired help and have personally gone to great lengths to not come across with that attitude. But we can’t do much about the sit setup process that closely tracks your traditional job search paradigm.
It would be mutually helpful if sitters didn’t assume that they are being treated like hired help until they are actually treated like hired help.
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Well said. It is hard to come up with a better word than interview. Literally means “asking questions to assess suitability for a role.” The sitter is also interviewing the HO. It’s not an issue until it is. (And now we’re off topic, but I think you started this thread so maybe it’s okay 
)
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Same here, good listings in desirable locations never stay available for long, and certainly not for a full week
Can we distinguish between a sit being available vs the process/timeline it takes before an invitation is extended? In our experience, a sitter has 1 or 2 days to apply for one of my sits before my queue gets full and no more applications are accepted. It still takes 5-7 days to get to a formal invitation and, as I’ve tried to make clear, applicants have set the pace of that 5-7 day process.
I meant the process as well, from expressing interest, having a chat to both sides confirming afterwards - rarely experienced it taking more than 24 to 48 hours
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That has also been our experience with 40 x confirmed sits . All but 2 of them were advertised, applied for , had a video call , confirmed and accepted within 24 hours . Many within 2-3 hours of our application.
Most have been in the same time zone so that makes the process quicker and some are repeat sits where we the video call is unnecessary .
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I agree with the timelines quoted by @buttercup and @Silversitters
I have never been asked to have an “interview”, HOs ask if it is ok to have a chat.
May I also ask, do you tell the sitters that you are speaking to others at the start of your call or at the end? It is rare that I am one of a few and I don’t appreciate being told at the end of a 30 minute chat that the owner has more sitters to speak to over the next few days.
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We do exactly the same thing and this is why we do it. There is no one perfect match.
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@OnTheRoadAgain I’m curious, how often do you end up selecting the first sitter you have a video chat with? I ask because if you are typically selecting the first sitter you chat with, it means your gut instincts are good and you should probably starting sticking to your first choice 
Also, now that you have been a member of THS for several sits, you have seen many applications and sitter profiles, so it should be easier to start selecting one or two sitters for a video chat and not having to video chat with all of them.
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Same, it would be a very short call if revealed in the beginning😅 Same outcome if in the end, swipe left - too many good listings for that
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Not typically but that’s likely because it has been the sitters who set the chat schedule. We simply screen out applicants who are obviously not a good fit and invite the remaining applicants to give us a time date and time they’re available to talk. I can’t recall anyone being available to talk the same day and often they aren’t available until a few days later.
I do recall a couple of sitters who wouldn’t have been our first choice based on their initial note but became our first choice after interviewing all the applicants.
We don’t mention anything about other interviews until the end of the chat and they have always come across as understanding and appreciative. But I see now how that could be annoying. Still, it’s been very rare that anyone has withdrawn their application after the chat. Maybe someone has bailed because they were annoyed but covered their reason with something else.
We’ve never used the word interview in conversations with sitters but, as @Shafofo pointed out, the chats are indeed interviews by both parties.
The timeline I’ve experienced has been the same as @buttercup and @Silversitters. About 95% of the sits I’ve done have been confirmed within 24-48 hours including a video chat. I’ve had some confirmed within a few hours. The couple of sits that have taken a little longer have been due to time zone issues with scheduling the chat which added a day to the process.
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I’ll keep that in mind in the future should I ever find myself dealing with multiple interviews and will mention it up front. I’d prefer to quickly screen out any applicants who are that easily put off. Much better to get that out in the open and over with because it’s definitely not a good fit for us.
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@OnTheRoadAgain That’s probably wise, time is, after all, people’s most valuable currency. This is, misleading phrases aside, travel matchmaking - not bread and butter. Viewing it as a job might well invite that kind of energy, though. Good luck
This likely means the sitters were holding out for a better situation.
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Timing is a factor too.
If you post your dates on a Friday morning (you are at PST, west coast of USA), I bet you could confirm a sitter by Sunday evening!
Even people who work a “normal” full-time schedule should have time on the weekend to chat with you.
If you plan to continue chatting with several applicants for each set of dates, you might consider putting this in your profile/listing. It better “sets the stage” for applicants.
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Do what works for you. Look at all the differing opinions on this. Everyone has their own process and that’s just fine. And dont feel bad about doing a video with more than one applicant, that face to face can really be the determining factor. We can all sound good on paper and it needs to be the person you feel best about. As sitters, for all we know, you have 5 applicants who all have tons of good sits under their belt. Choose the best for YOU!
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I agree with @SoloGal that you should do what works for you. Each member should do what works for them and what they feel comfortable with and that gives them a good gut feeling. I believe strongly that that is important.
As most of us, I think, apply for multiple sits at a time and have confirmed dates within 24-48 hours of applying, it is however a risk for hosts to have long processes, waiting until they have five applicants before going forward etc. Then timely hosts have the upper hand on hosts that linger, and secure sitters first.
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