Are that dropping me gently?

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I applied for a job a week ago, I know Memorial Day must have affected things, but to sound interested I asked yesterday what was the hiring timeline. I got in responce "as quickly as they can find the right person."

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but could this mean they overlooked me already? I've never been so interested in a job before, how can I show interest without coming off as desperate? I wrote a long cover letter then remembered things later and emailed them in, is that all I can do?

This may or may not be a thing, but...
I have never actually gotten a response from a business when I submitted two sets of application stuff like that.

And I have some executive functioning/organization issues that have meant, in the past, that if I applied for 10 jobs I probably did that with 1 or 2. Forgot cover letter, forgot relevant skills/experience, forgot to attach documents...

I suspect there is some sort of bar of perfection where HR departments figure that if I can't send all my documents in at once, they don't want me as an employee. Never mind that I caught the mistake and fixed it...

On the other hand, my husband's father wanted to work for this company that's the best [in the region] for his industry. He walked into their office every Friday for something like three years to ask if they had a job for him yet [they have a firm "experience" qualification]. Basically the second he was qualified he got hired, and he already knew most of the people in the office to some degree... so there is an argument for being persistent.
Especially since they haven't actually told you no, and who the heck knows, maybe their idea of "the right person" is someone who is persistent and assertive.

The cover letter I wrote was probably good enough, but I remembered a couple of citizen science projects I participated in from their lab that I forgot to mention. But if that actually hurt me than idk... I don't want to ask if they already rejected me.

If you send your application, but forget something, and then send it later, there is very little chance that they will read it. If there is a lot of applicants - and there usually is - the HR people don't have time to take special care of your special application. They will simply drop your application on grounds of failure to conform to standard requirements for applications i.e. no resume attached, cover letter isn't finished, no diploma attached etc. This doesn't mean that you're not qualified for the job - but it means that you didn't make an effort in applying for the job, and that equals straight rejection.

Take your time when you write your cover letter. I usually take my time, and spend at least two or three hours writing the cover letter. Sometimes even more. Think of all the things you want to say and write them in a draft. Then afterwards write the best ideas you have in the cover letter. Take your time. Don't rush it. read it several timess. Read it aloud to yourself. Be VERY slow and thorough when you upload it and send it. Never ever rush it.

Yeah, when I wrote the cover letter I was responding to the qualifications the job required, then later remembered my participation in their projects. I feel like I'm still learning a lot of this stuff. I have a good book on landing jobs I think helped me get some of my past jobs, stuff like how to write a cover letter in the first place and how to answer interview questions.

I tried emailing them and calling them with no responce, how do you know when to give up?

They finally responded and said I was not out of the running, they are figuring out who to interview *crosses fingers*

I agree with what OK has said.

I'd wait to hear back from them. If it's been a long time, say...a month, and you haven't heard anything at all, you probably didn't get it. At that point, OR if you hear you didn't get it, you could ask them if they have time to tell you what might have improved your chances. They might tell you that.

Like OK said, most people are busy and won't take the time to pay a lot of attention to you. BUT, I have found (from working in management years ago, and being friends with HR people) that there is usually someone there who is interested in recruitment and they may make time to respond to you because it's the only "fun" thing they have to do.

Just don't contact them too much and try not to sound desperate.

ALSO...if this in your job field...animals and zoology, right? I think is it kind of expected to be passionate about your work, so people do follow up and try harder to establish contacts within the field.

The HR lady emailed me back saying that got tons of applicants and it will take at least 2 weeks to go through them all... ugh... reduces my chances quite a bit.

She emailed you back, though! It's good she's remembering you. That could mean that she doesn't want you to get discouraged and take another job.

Don't take an email from an HR person as interest in you. And never under any circumstances turn down a job offer from another company.

A bird in the hand is worth six in the air.

I already turned down a job, only 3 months long, but almost everyone was against me moving away for 3 months, they even had for me a place to live and transportation, but husband wont accept anything that means any length of separation from him, which makes things harder. Only my uncle supported it, hes always supported me going off to my jobs.

Am i going too far? Part of the job is interacting through twitter and chat rooms about birds, I'm talking to these people! I keep thinking I look either super interested or super desperate...