Cannot implicitly convert type 'System.Linq.IQueryable<Apps.Model.Applicant> to 'Apps.Model.Applicant'. An Explicit conversion Exists ASP.NET MVC3 -

 public viewresult index(string currentfilter, string searchstring, int? page)     {         if (request.httpmethod == "get")         {             searchstring = currentfilter;         }         else         {             page = 1;         }         viewbag.currentfilter = searchstring;           var connstring = configurationmanager.connectionstrings["applicantdb"].connectionstring;         list<applicant> instructors = new list<applicant>();         using (var conn = new sqlconnection(connstring))         {             conn.open();                var query = new sqlcommand("select top 50 applicant_id, applicant_lastname, applicant_firstname, applicant_middlename, applicant_address, applicant_city"+                     " applicant", conn);              var reader = query.executereader();              int currentpersonid = 0;             applicant currentinstructor = null;               while (reader.read())             {                 var personid = convert.toint32(reader["applicant_id"]);                 if (personid != currentpersonid)                 {                     currentpersonid = personid;                     if (currentinstructor != null)                     {                         instructors.add(currentinstructor);                     }                       currentinstructor = new applicant();                     currentinstructor.applicant_id = convert.toint32(reader["applicant_id"].tostring());                     currentinstructor.applicant_lastname = reader["applicant_lastname"].tostring();                     currentinstructor.applicant_firstname = reader["applicant_firstname"].tostring();                     currentinstructor.applicant_middlename = reader["applicant_middlename"].tostring();                     currentinstructor.applicant_address = reader["applicant_address"].tostring();                     currentinstructor.applicant_city = reader["applicant_city"].tostring();                   }                 if (!string.isnullorempty(searchstring))                 {                      currentinstructor = instructors.asqueryable().where(s => s.applicant_lastname.toupper().contains(searchstring.toupper())                                            || s.applicant_firstname.toupper().contains(searchstring.toupper()));                 }             }             if (currentinstructor != null)             {                 instructors.add(currentinstructor);             }              reader.close();             conn.close();         }          int pagesize = 10;         int pagenumber = (page ?? 0);         return view(instructors.topagedlist(pagenumber, pagesize));      } 

error in line

 if (!string.isnullorempty(searchstring))                 {                      currentinstructor = instructors.asqueryable().where(s => s.applicant_lastname.toupper().contains(searchstring.toupper())                                            || s.applicant_firstname.toupper().contains(searchstring.toupper()));                 } 

this first time encountered type of error . . wasted 2 hours in kind of error hope can me in situation. . advance thank willing help. . appreciated :) kudos !!

as error says, trying assign single object list.

 currentinstructor = instructors.asqueryable().where(s => s.applicant_lastname.toupper().contains(searchstring.toupper())                                            || s.applicant_firstname.toupper().contains(searchstring.toupper())); 

if there can 1 result need use singleordefault() , if there multiple records, use firstordefault() extracts first record result set.

instructors.asqueryable().where(s => s.applicant_lastname.toupper().contains(searchstring.toupper())                                                || s.applicant_firstname.toupper().contains(searchstring.toupper())).firstordefault();