Work experience Review

It was a holistic approach to working at HSBC introducing us to a variety of different departments and listening to industry experts in that field. I was able to learn a lot about what the world of work was like and all the opportunities that working at a big multi national company brings

I learnt what the job sector is like. I was given a course regarding how to write a cover letter well as well as writing a CV and what to include. I was also trained in managing my personal finances better and all the different accounts I can open once I turn 18

I enjoyed most of the experience as I found it really insightful, as banking was a career I was really considering at the time, so to be able to talk to leading figures in many departments was amazing. However, the fact that it was an online experience did make it less enjoyable at times, because some of the sessions were quite boring and it was hard to stay motivated and attentive whilst just staring at a screen for 6 hours

I found it to be extremely well organized as we were given a clear time table of our weeks worth of experiences and what we will focus on in each day. I thought it did a good job in making sure we got equal time to discuss all the different departments so it was organised to maximize our limited time which I really liked

Focussing on company culture as well as what it would be like to work at HSBC was a big focus of the course as they organized many sessions where graduates who had recently joined shared their experiences as well as more senior members sharing their journey and what they enjoyed working at HSBC

It helped to a decent extent, because it made banking as a career path seem quite attractive to me, now that I have more information on it, however it also showcased how many different fields there are in banking so I haven't decided what field I would like to go into yet. Therefore it was useful in opening up my understanding of career paths in the future but I haven't decided yet.

Due to it being a virtual worl experience when I was 16, it was completely unpaid. This was because rather than me working and aiding HSBC with my skills, this experience was more about HSBC educating me and fellow students on the world of work, so I understand why we weren't paid although it would have been nice to have.

There was a multitude of opportunities to network and meet employees as that was the primary role of the experience. Whenever we were introduced to a new department at the bank we could listen to speakers from that sector as well as asking them questions and getting their Linked In afterwards, so I thought it was very good for networking.

Yes

I felt that the experience was very useful for teenagers like myself to get an idea of what having a job is really like, and also illustrating how many different jobs there are. Also it introduced something completely new to me in the form of Degree Apprenticeships which I feel is an excellent way to get the benefits of a degree and apprenticeship, so I would highly recommend it to a friend to learn all these new information and skills.

I would firstly recommend taking a course in how to write a cover letter in particular as it was a new thing for me and a free Eton course I enrolled in really aided me in my application process. Also research what sort of questions are asked in a competency based interview and make sure you prepare for them, as you need examples to illustrate where you have shown a specific skill or attribute you claim to have.