Commercial Officer Review

by HSBC

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.1/5
  • The Role
    3.6
  • The Company
    3.0
  • The Culture
    2.5

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I enjoyed my placement in that it provided me with valuable insights to an industry I was weary of initally. I enjoyed working in two different teams and two different locations and the business exposure. As for the field of work I did, after mastering a lot of what my role entailed, it did become a little repetitive in a sense until the busy days hit! The experience of working with so many different managers with different styles was invaluable. Of course there are always things that can be better in that I would have liked to go out on more meetings with managers and learn more about their roles. However I learned alot about myself and the business world and have a lot I can take into the future.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt my colleagues valued me immensely. My appraisals strongly suggested this. As well as the fact that as it was a self-arranged placement, as an extra member in the team that would not normally be there, this extra support was widely appreciated.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • As an "self arranged" placement in a palce where there probably has not been a placement arranged before, I feel my learning was solely upto me. The main aim was of course as set out to master the role of Commercial Officer and develop an understanding of how a Commercial Bank works and operates. I feel I did that to a large extent and my managers were there for anything I needed I could as them. So for support I would say a good extent of whatever I wanted to do I was supported. As for guidance, my managers were there as a point of contact for me at anytime in their busy diaries. As we worked in the team the general direction of the team is where each individual aimed to be for the benfit of that. I was guided in terms of moving forward and for ideas of a future career that I could take or was interested in.

    3/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • Always busy no matter what! Some days were alright but alright on a normal day is busier then any other place of work! (As Bilbo Baggins would say).

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • Responsibility in terms of acheiving what needed to be in a given deadline. It was a fairly relaxing working atmosphere however work was always there to be done and needed to be done on time. We were given great access to the systems and information and for that reason a good deal of responsibilty is entailed within the role.

    3/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • Business accumen. How businesses operate in real life. Banking needs of a business and what banking services are available for businesses. Data protection act. Office working and team working theories experienced in real life. All of these which were developed on the role and can be taken as basis into a future career! Working with business plans and lending etc.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • Always vibrant atmosphere with someone to talk to in a relaxed working environment with always some banter in the air!

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • As it was a sort of informal placement it was organised well int erms of setting me up in the team and working as an active part of the team doing challenging tasks. Afterall this is what any placement outlines effectivley on a basic level anyway!

    3/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • Just general on the job training to keep up with compliance.

    3/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Financial Bonus

    Company Parties/Events

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • As the companys strength is undouted compared to its competitors it is very attractive. On the perks and pay side maybe a bit lower then expected but always room for development and growth.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Only one but met a couple of trainess on management trainee programmes (Grad progs). However they had a formal set out of there individual programmes and meetings where as I had the general meetings as any other employee and anything I had to do for placement.

    3/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Fairly standard for London. Travel major expense!

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • Kignston and wimledon are standard. kingsto is better as it has the Oceania and other bar/clubs. Wimbledon moreso a bar atmosphere. Of course for non drinkers there is great shopping areas in both towns nd cinema and everything else you would like to do.

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • We had some football games and so on.

    3/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Customer Service

International

November 2009


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