4 September 2020

HSBC Singapore moves to online people hiring and onboarding

HSBC announced it will be shifting its hiring and induction of graduate recruits and general staff recruitment online this year.

HSBC today announced it will be shifting its hiring and induction of graduate recruits online this year. This follows similar moves for its ongoing general staff recruitment this year.

The following changes are being made for its new wave of graduate recruitment:

  • Marketing and recruitment: HSBC will host virtual campus events with HSBC senior management on topics including the future of banking, sustainable investing, fintech / digitalisation and women in banking.
  • Interviews and hiring: The interview and hiring process, which will happen over August and September, will be conducted through video interviews and online assessments. In previous years, HSBC Singapore ran in-person “assessment centres” in the office.

These initiatives are part of HSBC’s larger transformation programme incorporating modern ways of working, and also due to existing social and travel restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Other digital recruitment changes include:

  • Human Resource’s e-offer digital capability to accept work contracts has reduced 2-3 days in onboarding.
  • Hiring managers have the option of giving their new joiners online access to a virtual ‘work desktop’ that they can access on their personal laptops. The other option is to have a bank-issued laptop couriered to their homes, to minimise the need for them to come into office.
  • Flexibility on geography e.g. one intern joined the Singapore 5-week internship while in India, as he was not able to travel to Singapore for his internship.
  • Local induction for interns and their 5-week internships this year were fully virtual. Global Baking & Markets and Private Banking interns (69% of total intern population) had 3.5 hours of online training every day for 5 weeks.

Brandon Coate, Head of Human Resources for HSBC Singapore, said: “As a growth market for HSBC globally, we are focused on investing to attract the best local talent and further developing their skills. To attract these candidates, we need to quickly embrace new ways of working, and we are adapting accordingly. Despite the current environment, we are committed to rolling out the same robust recruitment and training programmes that continue to be a key part of our hiring plans. This is not only the right thing to do, but also ensures that our workforce remains agile and nimble enough to surmount the challenges ahead.”

Media enquiries:

Karina Tham | karina.tham@hsbc.com.sg | +65 9843 2801

Notes to editors:

About HSBC Holdings plc

HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of HSBC, is headquartered in London. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 64 countries and territories in its geographical regions: Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, and Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,918bn at 31 March 2020, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.

About The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited is the founding member of the HSBC Group. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 64 countries and territories in its geographical regions:Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, and Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,918bn at 31 March 2020, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.