I am not currently hiring. But when I am, I look for the following, in order:

1. Intelligence. This should be obvious. Smart people, even if they are not currently competent in a given technology, business domain, or platform, are capable of becoming competent in it.

2. Interest in the job. I want people in my employ to enjoy what they do, and derive personal satisfaction from it. I don't abide clock-punchers who got a CS degree solely because there's good money in it.

3. Good work ethic. This is almost always unnecessary if #2 is met, but sometimes you will encounter candidates who love writing software, yet for some reason they choose to browse the web all day instead.

Right before I left my last job they were looking for interns, and I interviewed a few of them. I was absolutely looking for all 3 of those qualities, not any particular skills. If you had existing skills that was a bonus, but we were primarily looking to train people to do the job considering it was an intern position targeting college sophomores.