Cognizant Technology Solutions Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

How to Get Hired: Cognizant

Alan reveals the qualities Cognizant looks for in potential candidates and what it takes to delve into the world of technology.
Alan Lim
Campus Recruiter
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Please describe the assessment process for applicants to your organisation.

Our selection process comprises of four stages:

  • Screening of Profiles submitted to us via our Online Portals.
  • Suitable candidates will be invited to attend a Video Interview (an additional evaluation tool to assess candidates). An Aptitude Test will also have to be completed for some roles.
  • Promising candidates will be contacted for a Phone Interview with the HR team
  • Shortlisted candidates will meet the hiring team thereafter. Depending on the line of business, there may be 2 to 3 rounds of Face-to-Face Interviews.

These may take up to a month to finalize and conclude our decision for offer.

What are the skill sets you look for in fresh graduate applicants?

Cognizant offers a veritable opportunity suited to those looking for more than just to enter the digital workforce of the future. One should not only have proven their interest in technology, but have also taken steps to keep up with the latest trends and innovations and what it can do for corporations as well as individuals.

Please give us an example of an area which your organisation is focusing on in developing talents.

Cognizant is moving towards the Digitalization of the business and on a move towards automating processes by the year 2020. We assist our clients evolve to the next generation IT foundations. To achieve our vision for 2020, the workforce is trained in areas like Visual Design, User Experience, Big Data, Internet of Things, Robotic Process Automation, Cryptocurrency and Human Centric Design. We also maintained our focus on industries and continue to deepen the domain knowledge in these areas. While we aim to build a digital workforce, we also work towards a world-class organization where we aim to attract, engage and retain diverse pipeline of future leaders through constant feedback, coaching and mentoring.

Does your company have a structured graduate programme? If so, what advice would you give to graduates wanting to make the most of these programmes?

Cognizant offers an 18-month Graduate program designed for aspiring, capable and qualified individuals, delivered by a dedicated team committed to developing the Leaders of Tomorrow. Cognizant's vision is to build an ecosystem powered by like-minded yet unique individuals gunning for career results and supporting one another in their own personal development and networking.

To take full advantage of the program, graduates should set the right expectations for themselves and for the opportunity at hand. This means understanding the goals and requirements of the program and their role in it before diving in head first. This allows one to be more realistic and grounded and more prepared for the corporate world ahead which can be very daunting for some.

How do you identify culture fit during the recruitment process?

We would focus on a few distinct areas during our interaction with candidates. First of all, to do well in Cognizant one should possess exceptional communication skills – this doesn't merely refer to good presentation skills and articulation, it also extends to having opinions based on their understanding of the situation, significant listening skills to pick up cues and understanding people better. We also look out for proven abilities to identify root problems and propose the right solutions to solve it – this is beyond just saying 'I like to solve problems' as we expect a track record of accurate diagnosis of real-life problems and applicable remedies accordingly.

Please describe your company's culture in three words.

Empowerment, Collaboration and Customer-centric.