I spent most of yesterday interviewing students with a view to hiring one for the summer to help us with admin on Skillfair. The job isn't particularly exciting but we need all the usual attributes that you'd want from a graduate - self-motivated, thorough, ability to work relatively unsupervised etc etc.
I'd forgotten how little experience most people have at this stage - but there were still some who managed to shine despite that and I've been trying to work out why. The trick seems to be making sure that when asked an open question , like the dreaded 'where do you want to be in 5 years time' the good candidates don't necessarily answer the exact question but do provide plenty of detail that gives you an insight into who they are.
I asked all students what they wanted to do after graduation and in truth none of them really knew, but the answers ranged from 'Dunno, guess I'll wait and see what's available' to 'Well, I'm not sure but I've explored these 3 areas and I'm, trying to get some work experience in this other area to see if I like it' - I'll leave you to guess which answer was most impressive :-)
I think providing the right amount of relevant detail is a key skill for consultants pitching for assignments, whether by email or face to face. You need to provide enough to give the client some idea of your experience and how it might be relevant - but avoid drowning them in irrelevant information.
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