I applied through college or university. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at HSBC (Madrid) in Aug 2009
Interview
Following an initial on-premises IQ and Skills test, a telephone interview was conducted by a HR recruiter, regarding mainly personality tests. Finally, a whole assessment center took place, where the candidate was supposed to overcome the pressure of being interviewed by first an only recruiter, then by a panel and finally by an actual senior manager.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you improve the performance of this concrete business unit of the bank?
The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at HSBC in Mar 2008
Interview
The application process began with an online application that was similar to most other banks. The firm was very quick with its review of my application and cv (24 hrs). I then took an online set of tests, and was invited to a first round interview. There was a slight delay in being able to pick a time slot for the interview, but eventually more times were listed. The interview was by phone, and was entirely competency based questions. My interviewer was very friendly. I advanced past 1st round, after which my application went on to further review but did not progress past this state. I was not notified of why I was rejected.