Let me try to make my point very understandable.
The fact that your application was referred to another department does not mean that you would be interviewed by one of the business heads of that department. Get it?
Engaging in hasty generalization is dangerous. That a person is brilliant does not mean the person is brilliant in every subject or endeavor. In the same vein, that a person is ‘clueless’ does not mean that the person is clueless on every subject. I hope this is clear. HR being clueless in this sense means they lack the technical skills and knowledge which will enable them judge an applicant well from a technical finance point of view. My argument remains that first round interviews should be done by business managers and not some clueless HR people. Clueless in this sense means HR does not have the skills needed to engage a well versed interviewee in technical matters. If they had, they would not be HR.
You are saying another thing, and what you are saying is very different from the point I am making. Go read my post again to help you see my point. Clueless is relative. I am as clueless on HR issues the same way they (the HR people) are clueless on using CVAR , VAR and Merton measures to ascertain the extent and range of Market Risk. In this case, I am near a pro even by international standards. However, the HR people would do well on issues related to HR positions. Clear?
And for your information, in my quest of job search, I have interviewed with some of the world’s best companies that SCB does not even come close to. So, I know how well to compare and contrast Standard Chartered Bank with others. I hardly speak loosely; check all my posts from inception to confirm this claim. This does not mean that you have not also interviewed with the likes of Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and co. I don’t know you, so I cannot ascertain your job search history.
No hard feelings. I am just striving to make myself lucidly understood and I hope you get my point now. That they transferred your file to a more suitable department (most probably based on their general knowledge of the bank’s business) does not mean that they are skilled enough to technically judge you fairly in your interview. Unless, of course, you applied for an HR position. This is the point. First round (phone) interviews should be done by each business unit. This is the major way SCB can attract the so called best international graduates that they are looking for.
Meanwhile, don’t forget to share your good news with us, as well as the interview questions, after your interview.
Truly yours,
Ighoeve.
PS: And just in case anybody thinks I have been unsuccessfully interviewed by them, then the person would be making a wrong assumption. I have not. I am talking based on other people’s stories and my personal experience with the world’s largest employers.