300:1

Today is the day when I sit down and answer the big pile of email I get each week asking questions about our program application process, which runs from now until February. Last year I created a Word document where I save a variety of responses based on the most common series of questions I get, so now I just copy and paste the closest answer and tweak it to the specific email. That does make my life quite a bit easier this time of year.

This is the first week I've had to do a mass response, over the past few months it's just been one or two a week and I could usually handle those as they came in. What volume am I talking about? Last year we had just under 300 applications for 4 open positions. This year I anticipate we will have 2 open positions, one of which could likely be taken as an exception. That leaves 1 position for 300 applicants. On one hand that could simplify the interview process. On the other hand, it's going to make selection an absolute nightmare.