2 applications an hour really isn't fast. How can it really take that long? Your resume is your resume... maybe you have a few different versions based on the type of job, but you don't make a new one for every single job. You worked where you worked, you went to school where you went to school, etc/

The same goes for the cover letter. Even if you craft a new cover letter from scratch for each job... It's 2-3 paragraphs. But really, as an introduction to frame who you are and what you do, that isn't something you reinvent much either. So what more work is involved in a job application?

Lots of job apps are just attaching those two things. Hell, places like careerbuilder literally allow you to apply to 20-30 jobs in 10 seconds with fast apply, so long as your cover letter is generically addressed.

I'm not saying to do that, and a lot of the jobs on careerbuilder are deadend. I'm just making a point.

Applications that take longer usually just have you fill in the same stuff on your resume, but through an online form like taleo. This is certainly annoying, but autofill is your friend, as is copy/paste and fast typing.

My only point is that I highly doubt OP was spending 40 hours a week applying for jobs if they only did 34 in two months.

Volume is the only way to approach online jobs because so many of them are deadend wastes of time. I've worked at so many places that accidentally kept up job listings that had been filled for months already. Imagine being the guy who spent 1-2 hours agonizing over the perfectly worded cover letter for such a job.

The interview is where you go hardcore in preparing and making sure you know what you need to know.