CMB Summer Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship with HSBC. Going into the experience having completed a Summer Internship the year before, I was eager to compare the two experiences. I can safely say that my time with HSBC was the best experience I could have had at the company and would highly recommend it.

From the outset of my placement, I was given tasks and responsibility that I wouldn't have expected to be given to an intern. As a result I could provide a tangible and positive impact from the outset. Consequently by the end of my placement I felt incredibly valued by my team.

Throughout the internship, there was constant support provided from numerous sources. The Emerging Talent team constantly provided updates on how every intern was progressing, my graduate mentor would often check in to see how I was progressing and I had weekly calls with my Line Manager to discuss daily progress.

I was busy in this role from the outset. Not only are you given daily tasks, but as an intern you're given projects to work on with your fellow intern. One key thing that allowed me to remain busy was being proactive in the office, as ultimately the experience is what you make of it.

I was given a high level of responsibility. For the first two weeks I was involved in projects that allowed the team to understand how I was getting along and how well I was understanding their business. As a result, from then on I was given a large level of responsibility which is exactly what I wanted.

The skills I have learnt during my placement will be incredibly useful going forward. During my placement I have learnt many skills which are at the core of banking, and skills which I believe anybody working in finance should experience at least for a little while to get to grips with exactly what is at the core of these large banks.

That general atmosphere in my office was very positive. This was a testament to the people there, who genuinely enjoyed what they were doing. Its hard for employees to exude positivity when they don't enjoy their job or the tasks they are performing, but this was not a problem in my place of work.

The internship was organised incredibly well. Everything ran smoothly and all of the information you needed was provided well in advance of when you would eventually need it. Furthermore, if you didn't have any information the Emerging Talent team were quick to provide it in a timely and proactive manner.

The company invested in you from the minute you stepped into the office. There were regular training days placed throughout the internship for training and education reasons as well as additional opportunities for you to seek out if you wished. More so, there were little opportunities on a daily basis to increase you learning, run on platforms owned and operated by the company.

These are presented to you from the first day of your internship. They allow you to understand how you are able to progress within the organisation and the career paths are accurately identified so that you can look forward in your career. It is something that is heavily stressed throughout the placement.

Yes, many events were organised to encourage socialising amongst the interns. This involved bowling, Quiz Nights and even a Black Tie event at the end of the placement to celebrate all that had been achieved and allowing you to integrate and socialise with all of the other interns throughout the placement.

Travel was quite expensive but only because I lived at home during my placement which was far from the office.

I was in a smaller office in a regional area so it wasn't great.

There were numerous opportunities, more than I can even begin to count.