Arthur – HSBC Intern
Retail Placement in Chelmsford
Why did I choose to work for an organisation like HSBC?
Working for a bank had not been on the horizon whilst at school, having originally wanted to work in either politics or the chemical industry to try and make the world a better place. However, when some major banks started to receive bailout money I started to become intrigued by the whole banking sector.
I applied for a programme at a rival bank and whilst there learnt that this bank had recently prioritised the customer experience to try and make customers lives much easier and simpler; probably in a large part down to the negative images of the banking sector in the media. This seemed great to me, having always wanted a career that involved making a positive difference to society.
Having decided that I wished to work in banking, I found that HSBC had always had customers at the forefront. It wasn’t simply some ‘new’ initiative off the back of negative publicity. I then knew that this was the Bank that I wished to work for. Once I started at HSBC, I noticed how integral “customer satisfaction” was by doing a project on my first internship based on improving customer satisfaction across an area.
However, there was so much more to why I chose HSBC.
HSBC has not taken any bailout money from the government allowing me to take pride in the way in which we at HSBC conducts it’s business. It certainly helped to ward off comments from friends about why you would want to work in the “selfish and evil” banking sector - an image HSBC leads the way in dispelling.
HSBC felt like a much stronger business than many other banks in that they hold much higher deposits than many competitors and having such a wide and varied business model, conducting business in 87 different countries around the world.
Being as multinational as HSBC is will hopefully present many opportunities to work internationally either on secondment or through conducting meetings and visits with colleagues throughout the world. The vast range of possibilities within HSBC is something that really excites me and is yet another area in which HSBC appeals over many of its competitors.
Choosing to start my career with HSBC has so far proved to be one of the best decisions I have made. Going to work each day during my internship was rewarding and enjoyable from day one because of the colleagues and customers that make up the bank.
I expect there’s more to come!