Work Experience Placement Review

We had a one week timetable, where each day, members from different teams within HSBC would come and explain to us their roles, and the different functions each team within HSBC had. We had mocks interviews which taught us key interview skills, along with projects we would do in a team.

During the work experience placement, we had a mock interview, in which an interviewer would ask us questions. We got feedback based on our interviews, and my interview skills were greatly enhanced from this interview. On top of this, we were taught the skills of the importance of personal branding.

I enjoyed the work experience to a high extent, I learnt a lot and because people from different teams would come, it ensured that different individuals would tell us different perspectives, so we were not stuck with just one person throughout the Work Experience Placement. One place where we could have got more enjoyment is if it wasn't virtual, though this was out of the control of HSBC due to Covid.

The work experience placement was very well organised. The programme had a structure where we were given the calendar of every event that would happen for each session (AM, PM for each day of the week). The induction was very good, where the lead of the work experience introduced us to the programme and himself, as-well as the team.

During the HSBC work experience placement, huge emphasis was put on HSBC values, and how important it is in all the work that is carried out by employees follow HSBC values. Because the work experience placement was carried out virtually, the atmosphere of the office was not visible to us.

The work experience was extremely important in determining my future career path. In this work experience placement, HSBC placed huge emphasis on Degree Apprenticeships, and the benefits that they offered. HSBC gave us Q&A sessions with Apprentices, and this has motivated me to apply to Degree Apprenticeships. Employees gave us their perspectives of each routes we could take - University, or a Degree Apprenticeship, and told us about the benefits and negatives of each.

Because the work experience placement has taken place virtually, there was no reimbursment for this experience. Whilst there were positives of doing this work experience placement over Zoom, it would have been much preferable to do it in person, as all the candidates would have loved to visit the offices at HSBC.

No 1-1 meetings were offered, either with the HSBC workers, nor with the other students. This could be because this work experience placement was conducted virtually via Zoom, making Networking Events much harder, due to Covid. However, being part of this work experience placement has helped me join the HSBC Talent Network.

Yes

HSBC is one of the largest banks in the world, and the values of which HSBC are ones which the company and all their employees pride themselves on. The work experience placement has helped me appreciate how much of an international company HSBC is, and how many departments there are within the bank, and how many opportunities employees have within the company.

When applying, make sure that you research HSBC values, because they are a company which wants all their employees to pride themselves in the values they have set for themselves. When applying to HSBC, ensure that you are confident that they are the right company to work for, and distinguish them, and try to know why you are picking HSBC over other firms.