HSBC |

You want a career with opportunities? HSBC has a world of them.

We look for students and graduates with international ambition. If you respect different ideas and want to share your own, you’ll thrive at HSBC.

With a global network across 62 countries and territories, serving more than 40 million customers, we’re one of the world’s leading international banks, with career opportunities that go way beyond banking; from business analysts, to relationship managers and cyber security experts to data analysts.

Whether you join us in technology, wealth management, banking, or operations, you’ll be part of a connected, global network of over 200,000 individuals, serving a changing world. You’ll support customers in their transitions to net zero and our own journey to become a net zero bank. You’ll play your part in driving sustainable economic growth, opening up opportunities and creating a positive impact for our customers, colleagues and the communities in which we operate.

We welcome students from all backgrounds. We’ll support you to develop the skills you need to unlock new pathways and have a diverse, long and thriving career, in an inclusive environment, which comes naturally to one of the world’s most international organisations. Take your opportunity to be part of something bigger.

At HSBC we’re interested in your skills, not what you studied. We welcome students from all backgrounds. With our support, you’ll build on the behavioural skills you have today to develop the technical skills required for the future. A career at HSBC could take you in directions you never imagined.

We offer a comprehensive, market-competitive pay and benefits package to support employees’ professional and personal needs. This may vary according to your role and location.

Our approach to remuneration consists of four main elements:

• Fixed pay
• Annual leave
• A range of benefits, which may cover areas such as work-life balance, insurance and savings, health and personal development.
• Employee share plans and discretionary pay awards based on performance.

As part of our commitment to rewarding employees responsibly, we have been certified as a global living wage employer by the Fair Wage Network.

Our approach to remuneration, including any discretionary incentive or performance-related awards, is designed to reward success appropriately and to ensure that what we pay employees is aligned with our business strategy. To achieve this, we assess individual performance against our annual and long-term financial and non-financial objectives.

We believe that the way people achieve their goals is essential to the long-term sustainability of our business. As a result, annual performance reviews also take into account how employees’ demonstrate HSBC’s values and adherence to Code of Conduct.

We welcome students from all degree disciplines and backgrounds, not just those who’ve studied finance. What matters most is the mix of skills and unique perspectives you bring to our teams.

Our application process focuses on the skills that will help you succeed whatever path you take, while giving you an idea of the kind of work you could be involved in.

Our application process varies depending on the programme you apply to.

For internships and graduate programmes, you’ll need to complete an application form, an online assessment and attend an assessment centre.

If you’re applying for an insight programme or work placement, you may not need to attend an assessment centre but will typically need to complete an online assessment and video interview.

Application Feedback

After each stage of the process, we’ll send you a development report by email. As well as letting you know whether you've been successful, this report will include more detailed feedback on your performance – highlighting where you did well and areas you could develop further.

Candidate Hub

Once you’ve applied for an internship or graduate programme, you’ll be automatically invited to register for HSBC’s Candidate Hub. There, you’ll find a range of content to help you prepare for each stage of the application process.

Step 1

Our application form is quick and easy. It should take no more than 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

It starts with a few simple questions about who you are (just to make sure you’re eligible for the programme you’re applying to). You won’t need to submit a cover letter, and there are no lengthy written answers, but we may ask for a copy of your CV.

You’ll also be asked a few questions to help us report on and monitor equal opportunities in line with local requirements. These won’t be used to make hiring decisions and you can choose not to share this information if you prefer.

Step 2

Our online assessments have either one or two stages, depending on the programme and country or territory you apply to. This could take anything up to 90 minutes to complete.

They’re designed to give you an insight into our values, our culture and the working life of graduates at HSBC. They’ll also help you understand more about the specific business area you’re applying to.

During these assessments you’ll be presented with example work scenarios and asked to respond in different ways, including multiple choice, written and video responses. The responses you give will help us assess your behavioural and cognitive skills to ensure they’re a good match for the programme you’re applying to.

Step 3

The final stage of our recruitment process is an assessment centre, which typically lasts three hours. These mostly run virtually, but in some countries and territories, or for certain programmes, they’re run in-person. If you need to attend an assessment centre at one of our offices, we’ll give you plenty of advance notice and may be able to support your travel expenses. Please check with your recruiter in advance.

During the assessment centre, you’ll get to meet HSBC colleagues from the business area you’re applying to. We’ll assess your suitability for the programme with questions and exercises designed to help you demonstrate your skills and interest in our business.

To prepare for the final stage assessment, it’s a good idea to reflect on why you applied to HSBC and think about the type of activities you’re good at and enjoy. We’d also encourage you to come prepared with some questions of your own.

We’re committed to providing an inclusive recruitment experience that enables all candidates to perform at their best. If you’re neurodiverse or have a disability or long-term health condition that affects your ability to show us your full potential at any stage in the process, please let us know and we’ll be happy to discuss the adjustments we can make.

Throughout the process you’ll be asked to complete various assessments which may involve:

• Different question types and formats, including audio or video content, mock emails, data tables and graphs or written articles
• Time-recorded assessments or a time-limited video responses

Our assessments have been tested for use with commonly used screen-readers and assistive software. Other features in our assessments to support accessibility include:

• Closed captions and transcripts for all video and audio content
• The ability to zoom in or out of content on screen
• A minimum font size of 16px for all text content
• The ability to navigate all assessments using only a keyboard
• Clear labelling of all charts and graphs so there’s no need to distinguish between colours

We’re better when we reflect the communities we serve.

Promoting diversity and fostering inclusion helps us to energise for growth. By valuing difference, we can make use of the unique expertise, capabilities, breadth and perspectives of our colleagues to the benefit of our customers.

To help us become more diverse and inclusive, we’re taking action in four key areas:

• Fair and inclusive recruiting
• Progression of under-represented talent
• Building an inclusive culture
• Supporting an inclusive society

The wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority. We believe it is a key enabler in reaching our purpose of opening up a world of opportunity. This is why we offer a huge range of resources to support the physical, mental, social and financial wellbeing of you and your family. Whether it's feeling like you can take the time out to exercise, having an open and supportive conversations with your manager, or getting professional support when you need it – no matter who you are, no matter where you're at, we're here for you.

Our commitment to the wellbeing of our people is one of the reasons why we were ranked the #1 global employer, in the CCLA’s Corporate Mental Health Benchmark.

Our approach to developing talent at HSBC is driven by skills. We’ll harness the behavioural skills you have and teach you the technical skills you need to ensure a long and thriving career.

Internship programme highlights

An internship is the beginning of your skills development journey. You’ll see how the skills you have today can be applied to roles in the bank, and you’ll begin to develop the technical skills you need to succeed on our graduate programmes.

During your internship, you’ll benefit from:

• An induction into the bank and your specific business area
• Technical and business-aligned training to ensure you can make the most of your internship experience and prepare you for a future graduate role
• Live project work, providing real-life experiences to develop your skillset
• Access to thousands of live courses and digital learning resources via HSBC University
• Support from your line manager and buddy
• Networking opportunities, including regular business and social events
• Talks from senior colleagues and industry figures who share their expertise on key topics like sustainability and HSBC’s journey to Net Zero
• Hybrid working and various initiatives to support your health and wellbeing
• LinkedIn Learning Licenses – 1 year access for your self-development
• Access to Employee Resource Groups
• Participation in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives to facilitate collaboration, networking and behavioural skills development, while contributing to the communities we work in
• An opportunity to secure a position on our Graduate Programme

Graduate programme highlights

As a graduate with us, we’ll focus on developing the skillset you need to be successful in a critical role at the end of the programme. We’ll equip you with an in-demand, agile set of skills that will be your passport to move around the organisation, continually developing and growing, as you take on new and diverse roles.

Induction

Each global graduate programme begins with an induction – we call it Launch – where you’ll meet other new graduates and your programme managers. It’s an exciting first opportunity to:

• Participate in hands-on development sessions tailored to developing skills that will help you succeed
• Hear from senior leaders about our global strategy and vision
• Start building your global network
• Explore how you can help shape the future of HSBC
• Business rotations

Our global graduate programmes often include rotations, providing you with a breadth of experience across our core business areas. Rotations will:

• Help shape your career and give you the support and direction you need to succeed in the role you’re working towards
• Build your understanding of our products and services and how they help our clients thrive
• Develop and expand your skillset by working in a variety of contexts and teams
• Give you the opportunity to share fresh ideas and make a tangible impact on our business
• Broaden your network by meeting lots of new and experienced colleagues who will support and guide you along the way
• Developing your skills

We’ll develop your skills in a variety of ways:

• Training sessions and workshops focussed on giving you the technical skills you need for the role you’ll assume at the end of the programme
• Hands-on learning, enabling you to put your knowledge into practice with the support of a manager who’ll guide and help you develop
• Through a series of interactive workshops on key digital and data topics, giving you the essential skills needed both today and in the future
• The opportunity to work on additional short-term projects across HSBC, acquiring new skills, applying your knowledge, experiencing different teams and growing your network
• Learning from a range of internal experts and speakers in quarterly interactive speaker sessions
• Taking part in hackathons, working with other graduates on challenges faced by our business
• Structured classroom training, online training and access to our global HSBC University to constantly update and build on your expertise

Ongoing support

In addition to formal training, you’ll also have many opportunities to learn from others, including:

• Your graduate network and the HSBC graduate programme alumni
• An assigned buddy, your graduate programme manager and a mentor
• Regular networking opportunities
• Support from our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
• Sessions to support and guide you as you move from student life to the working world. And, support when you complete your programme to take the next step in your career

We are committed to building a business for the long term, developing relationships that last. We maintain high standards of governance and meet our responsibilities to society. And we monitor and regularly publish updates on our ESG performance.

Our business has an impact on people all over the world – including customers, employees, suppliers, regulators, investors, and the wider communities we serve. Being sustainable means building strong relationships with these stakeholders and taking into account the issues that matter to them.

We use our international expertise to connect our customers to opportunities around the world.

We are powering new solutions to the climate crisis and supporting the transition to a low-carbon future.

We are building an inclusive organisation that prioritises well-being, invests in learning and careers and prepares our colleagues for the future of work.

And we uphold high standards of corporate governance and ensure we meet our responsibilities to society.

We publish a wide range of information on our performance in relation to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Below you can access our ESG reporting resources and find out more about how we support our different stakeholder groups and do business in a responsible way.