Jon Altschuler, Sarah Payne and John Pope, the President, Vice President and Associate of “Stream Realty” presented advice to their audience on how to prepare and stand out in an interview for a potential job.

“People make the same mistakes over and over again – eliminating themselves,” Altschuler said. “The way to go about not making those defining mistakes is to prepare and follow a simple step process that cannot fail if done correctly.”

First, there is the pre-interview process. Research the company you are interviewing with, they advised. Have a strong cover letter, look at and read the company’s Web site, and be strategic about who you contact within the company, the panelists said,

Altschuler admitted to often paying more attention to the cover letter than the resume because you can tell more about a person from it. He said cover letters should be “ready for the Wall Street Journal,” as far as grammar and spelling.

Whoever is reviewing the many resumes for one position at their company is looking to screen out as many people as possible, and quickly. This is why the small yet crucial parts of the process can be most important, he explained

Payne and Altschuler urged their audience to be proactive before their interview; call the CEO or guy on top and tell him you want to work for him. However, do not send messages via your Blackberry or iPhone, as it does not look professional.

“Being aggressive yet courteous is good; it can go a million miles,” Pope said. “Let whomever is in charge know how much you are willing to do for them and how well you plan on doing it.”

Practicing and preparing before the interview is a key step that will help build confidence in your delivery, and that will shine through in the interview. Payne gave the idea of using a flip camera to practice your answers to questions so you can see and hear how you come across to an interviewer.

It is important that you be remembered and the way to do that is by being what Altschuler called a “velvet hammer”- swing softly and in different ways and you will nail it.

“The economy is bad, but that doesn’t matter,” Altschuler said. “If you come across well, it will pay off.”