There are torque specs and torque wrenches to solve this problem in manufacturing. For day to day, 95% of the time you can tighten a screw gently until it stop

There are torque specs and torque wrenches to solve this problem in manufacturing. For day to day, 95% of the time you can tighten a screw gently until it stops, its head fully against the surface, then just "snug it up" a bit to seat it. "Snug it up" is of course vague, so refer back to line 1.