Standard Chartered's unpopular internal coding tests aren't linked to its gig jobs

Standard Chartered is determined to upskill its engineers. Some methods, like its new skills passport, seem more popular. Some, like its coding tests, do not.

Click here to follow our new WhatsApp channel, and get instant news updates straight to your phone 📱

Finextra reported this week that Standard Chartered has introduced a skills passport, which invites employees to complete 'gigs' posted by managers in differing teams. Employees, not limited to tech staff, can spend up to eight hours per week working on these gigs.

Its 'gig' culture is already in full swing; the bank says over 2,700 gigs have been completed, generating $8.5m in productivity value.

The new gigs might be good news; they're an opportunity to work in a new tech stack and add to your resume. However, certain projects aren't open to everyone, and employees need to build their skills on the passport to unlock them.

This might scare engineers in the corporate and investment bank, who recently had to complete a series of coding tests, so the bank could gauge which skills they needed to develop. If you believe these tests have some bearing on your skills passport and the gigs you are able to do, rest assured that it's its own separate thing... for now.

The coding tests were not very popular, although coding tests never have been in finance. Leetcode-style tests are a method proven somewhat arbitrary by generative AI advancements, however Standard Chartered's tests do not have a pass or fail state, which may provide some comfort.

Outside the tests, there are plenty of reasons why technologists like to work at Standard Chartered, however. It's one of the most generous banks regarding hybrid work, and Glassdoor reviews in 2024 praise the "good culture and work-life balance."

Have a confidential story, tip, or comment you’d like to share? Contact: Telegram: @AlexMcMurray, WhatsApp: (+1 269 237 3950). Click here to fill in our anonymous form, or email editortips@efinancialcareers.com.

Bear with us if you leave a comment at the bottom of this article: all our comments are moderated by human beings. Sometimes these humans might be asleep, or away from their desks, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. Eventually it will – unless it’s offensive or libelous (in which case it won’t.)