The first round of selection process is a numerical test. HSBC provides you with practice tests so that you can see how the test looks like before the actual test. However, the actual test is much harder and it is timed. I managed to finish 14 out of 17 questions. Around 2 days later, I received an email saying that I passed the minimum requirement of the test and was invited to choose a time slot for 1st round phone interview.
For the phone interview, I talked to an interviewer who was in London. At first, she asked me very general questions: Why HSBC? Why Sales and Trading? Why are you qualified? Then, she began to ask questions like "Tell me a time when you demonstrated leadership." The following 15 minutes of the interview were all spent on this kind of question, "Tell me a time when you........." Two hours after the interview, I received an email saying I passed it and would be contacted soon for the next selection stage - the assessment centre.