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HSBC Challenge: Demystifying Careers in Financial Services

At HSBC, we believe that diversity in educational backgrounds fuels innovation and enhances our ability to serve our customers. Your challenge is to help demystify the misconception that banks only hire finance-related graduates, and to highlight how students from various disciplines can bring unique skills and value to the financial services industry.

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Challenge Brief

There is a widespread belief that to work in banking, one must have a finance-related degree or extensive knowledge in the field. HSBC wants to change that perception by attracting talent from diverse educational backgrounds, promoting the idea that creativity, problem-solving, and analytical skills from various disciplines are essential to fostering innovation within the company.

As part of the Employee Resource Group (ERG), you’ll collaborate with different teams to develop a strategy that breaks down these misconceptions and showcases the variety of opportunities at HSBC for students from all disciplines.

Key Focus Areas

Diverse Skills & Perspectives: Explore how skills from non-finance backgrounds (e.g., engineering, arts, sciences, humanities) contribute to roles within HSBC.

Career Opportunities: Showcase the range of roles available in financial services, from technology to marketing, and how various skillsets are valued.

Training & Development: Highlight HSBC’s commitment to supporting new joiners from diverse backgrounds with training and development opportunities.

We would like you to:

Identify the root causes of the misconceptions surrounding banking careers.

  1. Design an attraction strategy that positions HSBC as an inclusive employer welcoming to all educational backgrounds.

  2. Develop promotional content to showcase the diversity of roles and skills required at HSBC.

Submit:

  • A strategic plan outlining how to attract diverse students to HSBC, addressing the misconception that banking only suits finance graduates.

  • Promotional content (e.g., a video or marketing materials) to highlight the breadth of opportunities at HSBC and the value of non-finance degrees.

Objective:

  • Understand the misconceptions about banking careers and determine how these are formed.

  • Create an attraction strategy to help HSBC reach and attract a diverse pool of students.

  • Partner with marketing, recruitment, and other ERGs to promote your findings and create materials (e.g., a short video, social campaigns) to highlight the diversity of roles at HSBC.

Submission

Deadline: 27th October, 11:59 PM
Submission Opens: 25th October, 11 AM

In the working world, you're often required to present ideas with minimal guidelines—whether it’s a presentation, report, or video pitch. That’s why we’ve given you the flexibility to submit your ideas in whichever format you feel works best. This mirrors real-world scenarios where it’s up to you to decide how to effectively communicate your ideas without restrictions like word count or slide count.

While we value experiential learning and want you to embrace this freedom, we also recognise that some guidance can be helpful. Below, we’ve provided a few ideas on how you could structure your submission. These are simply suggestions to inspire you and offer a bit of direction. Feel free to adapt or disregard them as you see fit—it's not required that you follow these templates.

Good luck, and we look forward to seeing your creativity in action!

Final Tips for All Formats:

  • Understand the Audience: Consider that HSBC is trying to appeal to students from a variety of backgrounds. Your content should resonate with this diverse group.

  • Be Clear and Creative: Whether in a video, presentation, or report, ensure your message is clear and communicates HSBC’s inclusive nature.

  • Use Data & Case Studies: Support your ideas with data, research, or examples from industries where diverse skills have successfully contributed to innovation.

  • Tailor to HSBC’s Values: Remember that HSBC values diversity, inclusion, and innovation. Make sure your strategy aligns with these principles.

  • Highlight Impact: Clearly define how your strategy will attract more diverse talent to HSBC and how it will shift the perception of banking careers.