Around 40,000 of its 219,000 employees are in the UK, with a large number at the Global Headquarters in Canary Wharf in London or the UK HQ in Birmingham, and the rest the local banks and offices throughout the country. With internships, work experience and apprenticeships available for students, and graduate schemes across all business areas, the early career opportunities available at HSBC make it a destination for people looking to get a great start to their career in finance. There are plenty of different types of job for the experienced professional too. Employment at HSBC comes with many benefits. As well as a competitive salary, employees also get:
Private healthcare Enhanced maternity and adoption pay Access to the HSBC University, which is an online learning resource that has more than 20,000 courses to help you upskill and get qualified in different areas
The recruitment process at HSBC depends on the role that you are applying for, with a slightly different process for graduate placements than for experienced professionals. This article will focus on the online job simulation, which is not quite the same as the normal situational judgement-type assessments that you might come across in other job application processes. You’ll find some tips designed to help you perform at your best during the HSBC job simulation test and get the results you need to be taken to the next stage in the interview process.
What Is the HSBC Hiring Process Like?
If you are looking for a role at HSBC, you can choose to work in one of the following business areas:
Commercial banking Wealth and personal banking Global banking and markets Global functions Digital business services
HSBC’s specific purpose is, ‘Opening up a world of opportunity’. It also has values that all employees are expected to demonstrate. Keeping these values in mind throughout the application process will help you to answer questions and present yourself in the most appropriate way. HSBC’s values are:
We value difference We succeed together We take responsibility We get it done
The actual hiring process has several stages, some of which are interchangeable depending on the type of job that you are applying for and what level the role is:
Initial screening Online aptitude tests Interview stages (telephone and face-to-face) Assessment centre
Initial Screening
The initial screening process begins with a CV, which is sometimes accompanied with an application form. The CV should:
Be tailored to fit the position that you are applying for Highlight your most relevant qualifications and experience Demonstrate your skills and competencies that match the essential criteria on the job description
The application form and CV are often the first glimpse that the recruiting team will have of who you are, so it is important to ensure that you show them you are the right person for the job (and that there are no spelling errors). The invitation will be emailed to you, and you will need to take the assessments online at your own convenience, but within a certain time frame. The tests you need to take will depend on the role you have applied for.
Experienced Professionals
Experienced professionals may be required to take:
Verbal reasoning assessment Numerical reasoning assessment Logical reasoning assessment Situational judgement test Work behaviour assessment
Graduates
For graduates, the aptitude tests are split into two different sections:
Immersive online assessment – This is a combination of psychometric test questions covering verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning and logical reasoning questions, as well as situational strengths.
Created by Cappfinity, the assessment lasts about an hour.
Job simulation – In this assessment, you will be provided with tasks to undertake, based on work-relevant scenarios. You’ll need to analyse data, provide written answers and record video responses.
Interview Stages (Telephone and Face-to-Face)
Interviewing at HSBC can include any of the following:
A pre-recorded video interview A telephone interview A virtual interview A more traditional face-to-face interview.
These interview types are usually used in the hiring process for experienced professionals.
Assessment Centre
For graduates, the interview stage is usually part of the assessment centre, a half-day group assessment that is sometimes referred to as a ‘Super Day’. You are likely to take part in several group and solo exercises as well as strengths-based interviews with the recruitment team and hiring managers.
What Is the Online Job Simulation at HSBC Like?
For many applicants, the online job simulation is the least familiar section of the recruitment process. If you perform well enough at the Immersive Assessment stage, you will be invited to take the job simulation test. It is comprised of several different questions that include fictional data about customers or about the job role that you have applied for. This numerical data is often supported with emails, memos or other communications, and you will be asked to analyse the data, create reports and provide updates for your fictional colleagues. You will need to create long written answers (crafting a report or writing an email) and some of the answers will require you to make a video recording. The job simulation assessment puts you as the applicant into a work-relevant scenario, which gives the recruitment team some insight into the way you would behave at work if you got the job. It is also a useful tool for you to see what the role will entail on a day-to-day basis so you can get a real feel for your own future success. One of the most challenging parts of the job simulation are the questions that require a recorded response; you might be asked to talk through the way you would approach a problem or how you would prioritise your workload when you have conflicting deadlines, for example. This will require a working camera, speakers and microphone. There are practice questions at the beginning of the assessment so you will have an opportunity to make sure that your tech is working properly and that you can be both seen and heard when you record your answers. The job simulation assessment lasts about 50 minutes. You will get access to three PrepPacks of your choice, from a database that covers all the major test providers and employers and tailored profession packs.
Video interview – These interviews require you to record your responses to a question, usually about your situational judgement skills. You’ll have two minutes to prepare your answer, so use this time to make notes and structure the way you want to respond. You will then have two minutes of recording time to answer the question. Situational judgement – Using realistic workplace scenarios, you will need to rank the possible actions that could be taken to solve the problem according to how you would be likely to deal with it, from 1 (most likely) to 5 (least likely). Personality profiling – In this section, you will be given a list of different personality and behavioural traits and you need to think about how they relate to you at work. This is a self-reporting exercise with a two-sided scale. Free text – This is where your written communication is assessed. You will need to read and understand an email, from a colleague for example, and create a coherent response to the given information, sticking within the 3,000-character count.
How to Prepare for the Online Job Simulation Assessment
While the data might be fictional, it is important that you look at the assessment as a way for the recruitment team to see how you handle your workload, how you work under pressure and your analytical skills. Your writing ability and presentation skills are also under examination. You will know what the recruitment team are looking for – the job description or graduate programme information will have a clear list of skills, attributes and competencies that an applicant needs to be successful in the role. If you can focus on demonstrating your ability to do the job in front of you, you will feel much more confident. Analysis skills can be practiced online, by using basic mathematical functions and by really honing in on your ability to read and understand data that is presented in tables or graphs. As part of the assessment, it is likely that you will need to present the findings of your analysis – and you will be asked to provide a deep analysis of a customer’s financial information and background to give the right advice and information. Think of this as being like a case study project. The writing segments are limited to about 3000 characters, so you need to work on being brief and informative to get the information across. If you haven’t written formally in this way before, getting some practice in before the assessment will help you improve your skills and ensure that you set the right tone with your language. Don’t forget your spelling and grammar are important too! While you will have the opportunity to ensure that your technology is working properly on the day, you will also want to be sure that the way you are communicating on camera is easy to understand, that you can be seen and heard properly and that you are speaking slowly and clearly enough. One way to achieve this is to record yourself describing a situation, providing some sort of information or talking a friend through tackling a difficult problem. Examine at the way you present yourself. You will want to look professional and have a neat and tidy background. Are you looking directly at the camera? Is your voice clear enough to be understood? Make sure that you don’t talk too fast because of your nerves – use notes to help you structure your answers. This is usually a half-day of exercises and interviews, which can take place remotely or in person. At the Assessment Centre there will be other candidates, some for other roles. The recruitment team will be looking at your soft skills, like communication, teamwork and leadership as you go through different group and individual exercises. At the Assessment Centre you might also have different types of interviews. These might include questions on your commercial awareness, what motivates you and what your strengths and competencies are. It is taken online and consists of different types of questions based on the role you have applied for, and includes situational judgement, personality traits, long-form written answers and recorded answers. Unfamiliarity of the process can make it seem more complicated but knowing what to expect will help you feel more confident. There are practice questions available from Cappfinity, which is the publisher of the assessments. The only time limits are in relation to the video answers: you will have two minutes to prepare your answer and two minutes to record your answer. To ensure your success you should aim to score as highly as possible throughout all the online assessments.
Commercial banking Wealth and personal banking Global functions Digital business services Global banking and markets
At the assessment centre you will complete group and individual exercises as well as different types of interviews alongside other applicants. The use of both immersive aptitude assessments and the job simulation test in the recruitment process for graduate programmes at HSBC gives the recruitment team lots of information about how successful the candidates will be if they are chosen for the role or the scheme. For candidates, the job simulation can be nerve-wracking, especially when it comes to recording video answers to questions. With the right preparation and an understanding of what the recruitment team are looking for in each question (the core values of the business and the specific skills, aptitudes and competencies needed for the role), you can answer the questions with confidence and demonstrate that you are the best candidate for the role.
