Work experience Review

Although COVID prevented us from having a face to face work experience, HSBC successfully overcame this and provided us with an extremely insightful experience. This involved talking to various departments... for example investment banking and marketing, and we got a detailed insight into their job role. We were also given many Q&A sessions to consolidate any queries we had.

Near the end of the placement, HSBC conducted a mock interview for each of the candidates. Personally, this built my self-confidence as it was done in the presence of unknown peers. The mock interview also greatly prepared me for many questions that I may get asked when I start looking for a job. They also aided us with answering questions successfully and gave us many tips.

Although I would have preferred a face to face experience, this virtual work experience was also very enjoyable. As we were given the option to unmute our mic and give our inputs. However we weren’t given the same sense of freedom that we would’ve got if we did the placement in real life

It was very well organised, HSBC made sure that we had many activities to do and provided us with allocated time for any questions we may have. It also wasn’t very rushed and was conducted at a suitable pace which suited me. They also provided us with a well rounded insight into their company.

We learnt a lot about the company culture and lifestyle. At the beginning of the placement we were introduced to the HSBC values and we touched a bit of history about the company. We also got to ask the employees many questions about their day to day role and their experience in the company.

Although I would have greatly benefited from seeing what the roles actually did, we got given a very detailed and enriching description however more hands on activities would have made it easier to decide whether you like that role or not and therefore decide if that is what you would be interested in doing for the future.

No we were not paid or reimbursed by HSBC for this work experience, since HSBC decided to conduct this work experience as a free work experience. Also, we, as candidates did not lose any money or spend any money during the application process therefore there was no money to be reimbursed.

Yes, there were multiple opportunities to network, as we were provided with the chance to join break up rooms with much smaller groups. This gave us the chance to network and talk to the other employees and ask them questions, for example how they like working in HSBC. However it would’ve been easier to network if this was conducted face to face.

Yes

They are a reputable and multinational corporation, therefore they have the ability to provide great opportunities to their employees. In the work experience, we also saw that they have a very good and friendly work culture which is very diverse and everyone is appreciated. This makes HSBC a very recommendable place to work at.

In the placement, we learnt that employers want well rounded people who aren’t pretentious and can be themselves.Therefore I would strongly advise anyone applying to work at HSBC to be themselves during the application process. For the interviews, I would advice applicants to practice answering mock questions as that is good preparation.