[ryandrake]

> Everybody says applying to 50 (or hundreds) of jobs is normal, but I don't think I've ever done that, including when I graduated from college. The last time I was unemployed, it took I think ~a dozen applications and maybe 3 or 4 interviews.

I’ve always used the approximate rule of thumb: 10%-10%

Out if 100 applications, you'll probably get 10 interviews, and out of 10 interviews you’ll probably get one offer. This has been approximately consistent with my results for 20 years.

[perl4ever]

Yeah, but maybe if people were more selective in applying, they would get a higher percentage of responses and waste less of everyone's time. I don't think I'm a particularly good candidate, it's just that it seems easier to read a hundred ads and apply to one or two that are the best suited than applying to dozens.