How Many Employers Should I Apply To?
The answer depends in part on how many interviews you are willing to take and what your long term goals are, e.g., if you only want to do intellecual property work do not apply to a firm that does not have any attorneys practicing intellectual property law; if nothing would induce you to accept an offer from a firm with fewer than 500 attorneys in it, do not sign up for one that only has 100 attorneys. If you do not exactly meet the qualifications an employer specifies, but are extremely interested in the firm or feel that you have experience that makes up for a missing qualification, then you should apply to that employer. If, on the other hand you are way off the mark in terms of qualifications and experience, then do not apply. There is no formula to suggest that X# of applications yields Y# of interviews or offers, so you should apply to those employers whose offer of employment you would seriously consider. In any event, submission of application materials to a particular employer is a commitment to take the interview if offered. Failure to do so results in automatic forfeiture of a future interview.