Where to apply

As the job market gets going, there will be well over a thousand listings on the various job boards. The basic rule is that you should apply broadly. That is definitely true. The marginal cost of applying to an additional job is low, and if it ends up being the job you end up with, the benefit is massive. But there are a few pieces of specific advice.

Top censoring

If you are not a star candidate, which most candidates aren't, there will be a decent number of listings where your chances are close to nil. You should ask your advisor how he or she feels about whether or not you should apply to them. Advisors sometimes have strong opinions about top censoring applications. Some are strongly against it, as they feel you aren't taking the market seriously if you aren't applying to the best places. Some are strongly in favor of it, as they want to be able to say to any school you apply to that they are confident you would be a good candidate for that job.

So just go with what your advisor wants. If you do end up applying for a lot of top jobs, keep in mind that they haven't really reduced your risk a lot. If you apply for 80 jobs but 30 of them were very long shots, you have basically applied for 50 jobs.

Bottom censoring

There will be listings that you will pass on because you don't want the job. But be careful about doing this too liberally.  I know many candidates who applied to a few dozen jobs that seemed like good fits and said to themselves "I am sure one of these will hire me, and I am not that excited about any of the others", and then regretted that thinking later.

You won't be able to go back and apply these jobs if the ones you prefer don't work out, so the best rule of thumb is to apply for any job you would take if it was the only one offered to you. As a thought exercise, imagine you were forced to withdraw all of the applications you plan to send in. Would you just pack the job market in, or are there listings you would then decide to apply to as backup options? If these listings exist, you should probably apply to them anyway.

Some people reject listings because of personal or family reasons. I won't tell anyone not to do that, but keep in mind that you might be choosing not to end up with a job. Make sure that is a decision you are willing to make. 

Remember that applying to a job does not commit you to take it if it is offered to you, even if it is the only job offered to you. If you are offered a job you are iffy about, for example because of locational reasons, you can always investigate it, think more about it, and then politely decline it. On the other hand, not applying to a job is a final choice. 

Field censoring

A lot of listings are for specific fields. In general, schools list those fields for a reason and will probably throw you out if you don't work in that field. So make sure you list any fields you can reasonably claim to work in, even if they aren't your primary field. If you have two fields that you can reasonably lay claim to being your primary field, you should put together two CVs and two cover letters, one emphasizing each field, and send those out as appropriate.

If there is a school you are particularly excited about that is looking for another field, there isn't really a reason why you shouldn't apply. I know a few people who ended up with jobs that were advertised outside of their field. Just don't lose sight of the fact that they are long shots. Just like very top schools, you haven't diversified your risk all that much by applying for jobs outside your field.

Finally, it is common for listings to say something like "outstanding candidates in other fields may be considered". Don't pay too much attention to that. In most cases, a school that puts this is still focused on the fields they list, they are just covering their bases.