It's an employers' market right now. So we play by the employers' rules. Personally I don't just willy nilly put in applications to every job that asks for my skills. I pick the companies I want to work for based on what they do, their standing in my industry, the work environment. That means I'm looking up the history of the company, who runs the company, what their public standing is on some issues that are important to me, etc. That kind of question you dislike is right up my alley because I'm not applying for a "job" I'm applying to a company I feel comfortable with and know and there just happens to be a job I'm qualified for in that company.

Quality is better than quantity. If you put in 100 applications to 100 crappy companies, you'll get a crappy job guaranteed. If you put in 20 applications to companies you WANT to work for because they offer you good working conditions, a path upward, whatever the reason, you are far more likely to get a job you'll be happy with.