Not all 250 applications are in the same time frame. I would that the first 4 to 6 weeks I was applying just like you said. Selecting very specific companies and creating higher quality applications. Only when it seemed to be going nowhere I made it a numbers game. And that worked for me.
About your profile, I was not talking about credentials only. The fact that you are in position to hire someone tells me you are not a junior developer. The hiring market for junior vs senior is very different. If you are a senior/principal/staff/tech lead fullstack, you can choose where to work. If you happen to know something very specific, that helps too. I have 3 years of experience only with Javascript on the frontend. It is not the same market as you probably.
About your profile, I was not talking about credentials only. The fact that you are in position to hire someone tells me you are not a junior developer. The hiring market for junior vs senior is very different. If you are a senior/principal/staff/tech lead fullstack, you can choose where to work. If you happen to know something very specific, that helps too. I have 3 years of experience only with Javascript on the frontend. It is not the same market as you probably.