What always gets my goat is that so many applicants don't just gloss over the particular wording, they miss entire sections of the job ad! The last time we hired an algebraist, we made it clear in the ad that we didn't just prefer an algebraist, were <bold> were going to hire</bold> one. I was stunned at the number of topologists, analyists, non-linear PDE specialists who spent the time (not to mention the money) sending us an application.

It really leaves me wondering what's going on in their heads. Maybe they think that the job ad is just a suggestion? [...] Or maybe they just want to move to this part of the country and hope to get lucky.

Or maybe we still have loads of people who broadcast their applications widely hoping that something manages to take root. I guess this strategy works for some animals when they reproduce, and for spammers...