Passion for helping companies engage with customers. Focus on results for clients and not just on activity or something that simply looks cool. Tell me how you plan to join the team and immediately dive into an assignment for a client. Explain that you are driven by getting things done and doing them really well. That's the type of energy and passion our clients expect.

One of the most common answers I hear from recent grads is how they "want to learn as much as they can" with the job. YUCK! Learning is great and expected. What's more important to me is how the candidate will contribute. Even with entry-level roles I expect people to focus immediately on contributing value. I hire people for their talent to make things happen, regardless of the level. Here's another way to look at it. Microsoft hires platoons of the best and brightest software engineers and programmers fresh out of top-notch schools every year. Many are hired after an intensive internship program. When they start their new roles they are immediately given a project to begin coding or testing. These engineers are not being paid by Microsoft simply to learn, but to contribute as quickly as possible. I expect the same from people that will work on my team.