Insight Week Review

I was given the opportunity to network with HSBC leaders and junior employees. Given fascinating insights into a range of divisions and especially the banking and market divisions within the investment bank. Interactive workshops brought the jobs at HSBC to life, whilst the workshops were very informative about what soft and professional skills you need to be successful in the banking sector. Learnt about the culture of the bank and heard first hand from current employees about how they enjoyed working within the firm.

I learnt a range of new skills; 1. I was given a masterclass introductory session into M&A deals, using a real life example HSBC worked on a couple of years ago. The session taught me first-hand what it meant to work on project based work. 2. I was taught about networking and building a personal brand. 3. I learnt about the breadth of HSBC's international capabilities and what opportunities there are to work abroad at the bank.

Incredibly useful - investment banking can be hard to find out about without having the chance to experience first hand what working on M&A deals looks like, and without having the chance to network with current employees and ask them about all aspects of their job and why there were drawn to working at HSBC rather than another bank. All of this was invaluable to me and strengthened my belief that investment banking could be a fantastic career for me.

The culture was excellent. Juniors clearly trusted their senior bosses whilst several told me just how helpful and approachable everyone was at the bank and how strong the training programs were when you first joined HSBC. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) provided an excellent chance to push for positive change within the bank and seemed to be a popular way for groups of employees to network and catch up. Everyone at the bank seemed pleased with the facilities at the head quarters including an onsite gym and canteen.

I really enjoyed the week. Whether that was getting to know the other members of the program to networking with senior leaders within the bank, or whether it was participating in excellent workshops on technical skills or soft skills I thought the program was engaging and inspiring. I have accepted an offer to join HSBC on their summer internship where I am excited to learn more about the bank and hopefully find out if HSBC is somewhere I would like to work in the future.

Yes

I would recommend practicing why you have applied to the sector (both finance and investment banking more specifically) and why you have applied to HSBC more specifically. In general, a candidate might want to consider the London headquarters, the Hong Kong roots of the bank which manifest themselves as a very prominent market position in Asia, and any recent news about the bank. A candidate might also do well to practice their technical skills ahead of interviews.