Guides / City guides / Shenzhen
Break into investment banking in Shenzhen.
Southern China’s financial hub, next to Hong Kong and home to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and ChiNext, its board for growth companies. Fluent Mandarin is essential.
The Shenzhen recruiting year.
Chinese firms hire graduates mainly through autumn campus recruitment.
- Earlier years
Internships
Students build a run of internships at securities firms, banks and funds.
What to do: Start internships early; they matter a lot.
- September–October
Autumn campus recruitment
Securities firms open graduate hiring for the following year’s class. In 2026, CITIC Securities opened 15 business areas, including investment banking, across Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
What to do: Apply in the first weeks of the season.
- Autumn–winter
Tests and interviews
Written tests and several interview rounds follow applications.
What to do: Prepare technical answers in Mandarin.
- Spring
Spring recruitment
A smaller spring round fills remaining places.
What to do: Use it if you missed the autumn season.
- Summer
Graduate start
New graduates usually start after finishing their degrees.
What to do: Keep building contacts in your team.
Typical windows only. Dates vary by firm each year.
Ways in.
Autumn campus recruitment
The main route into Chinese securities firms.
Overseas campus events
Firms like CICC hold campus events at overseas universities.
Lateral moves
Including from Hong Kong teams working on mainland deals.
Who hires in Shenzhen.
Shenzhen’s technology and manufacturing companies drive much of the deal flow.
| Tier | Examples | Why apply |
|---|---|---|
| Shenzhen-based firms | China Merchants Securities and other Shenzhen securities firms | Domestic franchises with strong southern China coverage. |
| National leaders | CITIC Securities, CICC, Huatai Securities | Teams for ChiNext and main-board listings. |
| Hong Kong gateway | Global and Chinese banks in Hong Kong | Many cross-border deals are run between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. |
Know ChiNext: Shenzhen’s board for growth-oriented innovative companies, and how it compares with Shanghai’s STAR Market.
Are you Shenzhen-ready?
Tick what you’ve done. Be honest: interviewers will find out.
The Shenzhen selection process.
- Online application, during campus recruitment.
- Written test, often with aptitude and finance questions.
- Interviews, several rounds, in Mandarin.
- Final round, with senior bankers.
Visas and work rights.
Foreign nationals need a work permit, and some roles are limited to candidates with Chinese work rights.
Many international candidates start in Hong Kong and work on mainland deals from there.
Test yourself: Shenzhen
Questions from the Mandate app. Try each before you open it.
Which body regulates securities markets in mainland China?
The CSRC. The China Securities Regulatory Commission.
Mainland China’s two main stock exchanges are in…
Shanghai and Shenzhen. Beijing also opened a smaller exchange in 2021.
The STAR Market in Shanghai is…
A board for tech and science companies. It was launched in 2019.
Which are leading Chinese investment banks?
CICC and CITIC Securities. Domestic firms dominate onshore underwriting.
Get ready before applications open.
Mandate’s China add-on and core units prepare you for interviews, with daily drills and mock interviews.