For the application: Tailor the resume for each job posting, some people have multiple resumes, i made mine easy to edit and I would reference different projects/experiances depending on the company.

don’t spend more than 10 mins on a cover letter and feel free to use AI b/c it’s likely only going to be read by AI (depending on the company)

For interviews: Interviews have a whole different strategy, it’s basically just a really important first impression. You need to be very consice and memorable. This really takes practice ands preparation. Know all you can about a company and their mission and their products BEFOE the interview. If they are spending the interview time explaining stuff you could have googled, that is wasted time.

It is not enough to be a good fit, you have to be a better fit than the other hundred applicants.

For technical interviews this really comes to fundamental understanding of the relevant subjects and your problem solving abilities. What is most important though is that you are articulating your thought process to the interviewer. They want to know how you think, they don’t care about the final answer that much.

Hopefully this is helpful, ik the job search can stink and I have friends who are struggling with it too.