If you want to have a successful sales career, you may want to start breaking tasks down into numbers. Looking at things from a numerical perspective — such as, “what percentage of cold calls converted to a sale?” — can often give us more information than singular experiences. They can also help us identify overall patterns, which allow us to correct our behavior accordingly.

For this reason, there are a few numbers you need to keep in mind. Companies, on average, receive dozens of resumes for any one position. Each resume receives — somewhat amazingly — only six seconds of a recruitment agency’s time, according to LinkedIn. Out of the resumes that merit a closer look, only a handful will get a callback, and then an interview.

Like with sales jobs, it can help to look at things from a wider perspective. Here area few bits of sales career advice you should keep in mind as you continue your job search.

Get Rid of the Resume Mistakes

There’s no way around it: people are messing up their resumes. What are some frequent issues? According to Career Builder, a recent survey found that hiring managers will automatically dismiss resumes that have:

• Any kind of typos (61%)
• Copied large amounts of wording from job posting (41%)
• Resumes with inappropriate email addresses (35%)

While the typo thing might seem obvious, some people think it makes sense that their resume should reflect the job posting. To an extent, yes, but not to the point where you’re copy/pasting it word for word. Similarly, get rid of that BigCuddlyCat@aol.com email — pronto.

Body During the Interview Language Matters

Studies have shown that the most effective way to “bond” and convey competency to an interviewer is to practice something called “mirroring.” This is when you copy the tone of your interviewer’s body language. If they lean forward, you can lean forward too. If they seem excited about the position, don’t be afraid to let that come forth in how you present yourself, as well. Be conscious of the poses your body lapses into naturally: do they convey attentiveness and professionalism? Make sure.

Do you have sales career advice for someone going through the job search and resume submission process? Let us know in the comments. Learn more.