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One of the key elements an employer will look for is for someone who is money motivated so make sure they know, in an un-arrogant manner, that your work ethic is financially driven. In terms of personality they will be looking for someone who is very confident and direct who likes to be in a busy, energetic environment - make sure you get this across to your interviewer. They will be looking for someone who has always lead the way among their peers, a natural leader that people listen to as well as very sociable.
Entrepreneurial people are also often sought after in sales as you have to be able to use your own initiative. If you've had previous experience, relate your answer to your love of the buzz, vibrant work atmosphere and competitive nature of the workplace.
With this question its best to give something that's non academic as that's the immediate thing that every graduate would think of. Work experience or something social at university would be best to refer to and try and think of a time when you exceeded expectation, not just met what was required. Examples could be in sport such as a target you set to be picked for a certain position or even for captain. Maybe it was to run for a certain post in a society with a plan to be promoted each year that you kept to. Remember, your interviewer will only look to dig deeper so try to cover as much detail as possible by being very specific, especially if it's a financial example as this will really impress. Assess yourself as to whether it was difficult to achieve - were you the best in comparison to other people? If so, let them know!
Double jointed questions like this can often be pitched to test your composure and accuracy under pressure. Take a quick moment to mentally break it down and think about how you will finish as well as how to start. Your influence could range from a discussion within a group of peers to something in a business context like getting your boss to listen to ideas that they weren't keen on before. Perhaps you changed the perception of a sports team you play in or class you discussed or debated in. The interviewer will be looking for you to approach the problem using a direct, tactful and verbal influence. Any interaction and involvement of other people when discussing will also be noted as a positive. A time when you've faced adversity could be a moment in your personal life or difficulties you have faced in previous employment. Perhaps you've made tough decisions in a crisis or come across a task that was challenging which you still managed to work on through. How it affected you and how you dealt with it are key points here.