Any tips and tricks for applications?

[GBH23]

I am going to be an NQT this September and I am desperately trying to secure a position. Where I live have just started advertising and I have started looking around schools and applying. However, there are over 100 people attending these tours (small groups/staggered/face masks etc to be Covid safe)! Are there any tips I can try to make my applications stand out?
I try to tailor my supporting statement to the school, I privately tutor maths twice a week via Zoom to keep me teaching whilst doing dissertation, but I just don't think I'll get through to the interview process!
Also, how long does it generally to take if you have an interview and how many candidates are generally short listed?
Thank you!

I'll also be an NQT in Sept 🤞and so far I've only applied for one job. 12 people were shortlisted but that was for 2 posts.

The advice I was given is to rewrite the bulk of your statement everytime to make sure you are demonstrating the school's values. I also wrote what I liked about the school and how it matched what I consider important in my teaching. Does that make sense? Also if you've been in school a lot, mention that as lots of trainees haven't this year! Can your mentor have a look over your statement for you?

Include a one page Executive Summary. Set up a Word document, have a table with 2 columns, the one on the left will be headed "Your requirements" the one on the right will be headed "My Qualifications/Experience". Then put in the schools requirements in a row each in the left hand column and briefly state how you'd meet these in the right hand column.

E.g. if one of the schools requirements was "Be able to use a range of assessment strategies" your experience may be "Used formative assessments during placements to plan next steps and involved in mentor's summative assessment process"

You need to be really strict with yourself on sticking to very few words to show how you cover what they want but you then have the chance to expand on what you feel is most important to the school (based on visiting) in your personal statement.