Really, they are the basic traditional ones. I'm looking for honesty and integrity. I do like to see a diverse background and an interesting education, which tend to give candidates skills that allow them to think outside of the box. They should also possess good communication skills and show attention to detail, which is obviously very important in finance. And finally, the applicants should be interested in new challenges and open to change.

These days, if you're looking for a 9-to-5 job where you just sit at a desk and you want the same things to happen every day, you're going to be hard-pressed to find a great job. We're in a time where everyone needs to be smart and efficient and flexible to what each day brings.

In our office, everyone wears several different hats. That makes for an interesting person and a motivated person, especially when they realize how much they can learn and grow by being open to news skills.

I think it's great to see when someone is quite surprised by their own abilities. If you don't let someone loose a little bit, they assume they "can't" achieve something new and can't is just never a good word in anyone's vocabulary.

7. What are some of your favorite interview questions or techniques to elicit information to determine whether a candidate will be successful at your company? What sort of answers send up red flags for you and make you think a job candidate wouldn't be a good fit?