Even since we joined XIMB, we were told by seniors to start preparing for Summer Internship Programme (SIP). Having had an accounting & finance background, I always wanted to work in finance realm and HSBC was one of the top recruiters we had. I had heard about its tough selection process. “If you want to crack HSBC’s interview you need to start preparing seriously for it”, advised a senior months before HSBC IB came on campus. From that day onwards my primary target for SIP was
HSBC IB. Being determined to crack the tough interviews, I started preparing seriously for it. Because what better could I get than working in HSBC Investment banking division itself. Needless to say that it is one of the best profiles in finance.
The much awaited day came, HSBC arrived! The shortlists were out and guess what, I got shortlisted for it. It was a moment of excitement along with anxiety for what will happen at the GD and Interviews. But I performed well at the GD and was selected for an interview. When my turn came for interviews, though I was nervous from inside but I took a deep breath and told myself “This is something you have been preparing for” and I went for it. It was not easy I must say. The interviewer directly started with technical questions and it went on like a rapid fire round. Starting from depreciation to company’s valuation, all the concepts of finance and accounting were being evaluated deeply. I did my best and waited for the second round. Strangely, only two candidates were being called for the second round and I was not amongst them. It struck my mind that I was being rejected and only the two called will be selected by the panel. But when the final names were announced, to my astonishment, the latter name was mine! I was at the top of the world at that moment.
Finally, when the finalised candidates were called by the panel to meet, out of curiosity, I asked the senior panelist who took my interview, why was I initially not called for the second round? He replied, “Sometimes you leave an impression, which lasts!” My euphoria increased by listening to those golden words which I might not forget for years. Then, when the days passed, everything returned to normalcy and we were all waiting for our first year to end.
On 31
st March, the journey of my internship started. When I finally landed in Bengaluru, the city about which I had heard so much specially its congenial weather and night-life. The entire day I was in search for PGs to settle down and spent some time shopping.
2
nd April 2018 was the day when I entered a corporate building for the first time. You can imagine me as a toddler who, for the first time, experienced new things & learnt every day from the naive environment she had entered.
My journey as an intern at
HSBC Global Banking (Strategic Transaction Group-
“STG” to be precise) had finally begun! It started with the intense training we received for the initial 3 days along with the 2 days introductory sessions from the STG head & other senior managers. Howsoever hectic it felt to us, it was actually a honeymoon period for all the interns. After the first week, the real game started! All the interns were assigned to different teams of various sectors or product groups (like Infrastructure & real estate, Metals & Mining, Consumer sectors etc.) of different geographies. I was assigned to UK Financial Institutions Group (“FIG” as they call it).
Coming to the work front, the journey was tough for all!
During the initial days, we were trying to understand the work of our respective teams. I was initially astonished looking at the pace at which my seniors used to work! It took me few days to understand the intricacies of their work but I picked up the work gradually. I used to ask them so many questions but they were always welcoming in their response. The work used to be hectic but it actually gave me the real flavour of Investment banking!
Sometimes the work hours did stretch to even 2 o’ clock in the night and we were still working meeting some tight deadlines or helping some team members with their work. It was no less than taking an exciting & turbulent ride (at WonderLa :P). My zeal for experiencing the world of IB closely, kept me motivated. I learnt a lot to pay heed to minute details, which I earlier used to ignore. I remember a line from my senior
“Eye for detail!” and yes if you are in STG (or Investment Banking in common tongue), you simply cannot ignore that.
It is needless to mention it separately that it was a tough but indeed a great learning experience. (An exponential growth on the learning curve …”technically” :P). These are just small glimpses of the work exposure HSBC had given us. The real work was quite intense and sometimes just too challenging to cope with.
Don’t think that we had a mundane experience there. We had fun too!
All the co-interns were so much talented, coming from different colleges & having varied personality. Almost each day we would have small catch-ups during lunch at the cafeteria (or you can call it the afternoon bulletin sessions). Sometimes the evening coffee with the team would be of great fun when your seniors will be talking about everything except work and have conversations full of giggles and laughter.
During the last week of the internship, all the interns were preparing hard for our final presentation which we had to present before all the senior managers. Meanwhile, a corporate lunch was organised. More than a lunch, it was a networking event with the senior managers & STG head where we shared our internship experiences and laughed on cheerful memories.
The next day was the day of our
final presentation for which we all were very nervous and had prepared so very hard. It was a highly insightful session where we could learn from our fellow co-interns and get a glimpse of the work they were into and get an overview about the sector or product in which they were working. I had an adrenal rush when my turn for the presentation came. But when it finally ended, it was so damn relieving!
Overall, it was a power-packed experience full of opportunities, learning, fun, self-discipline and much more which had the potential for a striking conversation for hours.
I am very much thankful to my team mates from whom I learnt a lot! Cheers to the co-interns with whom we share great memories. All the seniors on the floor who took the training sessions (you guys were amazing!). Lastly, my regards to XIMB which gave me this brilliant opportunity to work with such a prestigious company like HSBC!
Kajal Agrawal,
Class of 2019
Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar