How would you define a successful candidate?
https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/finance/news/google…
The CEO of Google says that he likes "glue people" --- people who have persistence and curiosity. Eric Schmidt claims that those two features are very good predictors of a potential candidate.
In investment banking, persistence is essential. I would imagine that the associate/VP won't want to hire someone who suddenly bursts into tears in his/her office at 1:30am.
As for curiosity, an entry-level analyst needs to "stay hungry" because probably he/she is the one who is "foolish" in the group, compared to senior bankers.
I would also like to add "self-discipline" here. People who get into IB/ER/PE/HF or other industries must be those who challenge themselves everyday.
What kind of trait is the most important in your perspective? How does a job candidate put the spotlight on that feature in his/her resume?