If the 5 minute form got me a job, sure. But it's a 5 minute form to chuck a bunch of my personal information into a black hole where, most likely, I'll never h

If the 5 minute form got me a job, sure. But it's a 5 minute form to chuck a bunch of my personal information into a black hole where, most likely, I'll never hear anything, or will get a form letter back in two weeks telling me they're not interested in me for the role I already have at a different company. So really, as OP put, it's 20-50 5-minute forms that are all exactly the same, so that you might get a single interview. Or you just know someone who works there and skip the whole thing because woo nepotism.