Cognizant — Interview process

Address: 600093

Website: Cognizant.com

This mail is to share my bad experiences with the interview process happening in Chennai Cognizant office.

Myself had a two bad experiences with interview in Cognizant (CTS) Chennai. Please spare sometime to read the below, which of the CTS approach with interview made us highly frustrated.

My first experience was before some 7 months. I had received a call from well known Consultancy stating that, there is a interview going to happen with CTS on one fine Saturday at Varalakshmi techpark premises OMR chennai. I clearly mentioned my about my profile and expained what kind of job I'm looking for. The concultancy person, didn't even listened and they said CTS is hiring huge number of candidates and your profile perfectly suits for the role what they are looking for... Couple of days later HR person from CTS itself called me and verified about the same. Again, I have asked everything and she also said the same to me. I have confirmed whether it is a walkin or a Scheduled interview. Both mentioned that it as a scheduled interview.

I reached the venue by 10 AM on that day. It was shocking, I saw a huge crowd of more than 2000 candidates waiting for the interview process to happen. The HR people from CTS not even sure what they are doing and just was carrying some papers and roaming here and there. After long time, waiting in the parking lot, They called people in bunches and asked wait inside the ODC's.

Then it was around 4 PM at the evening, no one directed us to whom the resume should be provided and what is the proces at all. I voluntarlily went to a person and asked for the same. He re-directed me to some other person and he re-directed me again to another person. Then, finally they put me to interview panel who was expecting a candidate with 3 to 4 years of experience in Active Directory profile. I had 8+ years of experience and my skill set is ITIL Process. He said, CTS is currently not looking out for such profile and asked me to leave. Look, how pathetic the interview process was...

My second bad experience was during last week (21st May 2016), interview happened in Navalur chennai. This time, I have received e-mails and calls directly from CTS HR, about the interview and job profile they are looking for. Thank god, atleast this time, they have reached me with the proper JD, which actually suits me.

Again, I have checked whether it is a scheduled interview or Walk-in kind of interview. She said it as a scheduled interview. Look at the mail subject line.

I have completed my night shift on friday 20th May and reached Navalur which was around 30+ kms far away from my home in this chennai summer. I was shocked once again, I reached the venue because there was around 1000 people waiting for the interview process to happen. One good thing, was they have collected the resume at the first and made us to wait in the lobby, this time rather making us to wait in the parking lot.

I could see that, the HR person were calling all the job profiles for first level interview, except ITIL SO role candidates who were all waiting since morning 10 AM. Finally after lunch, around by 3.00 PM they have started calling ITIL candidates for first round of interview. For me the first round got completed by 3:45 PM and he asked me wait so that he can put me to the next level of interview.

There were several candidates waiting for the second round interview and HR discussions, for very long time and that wasn't happened at all. The most worrying and pathetic part of the interview, was only one person was interviewing all the ITIL SO / Incident Management candidates from the beginning. That's why it took so long. I had a question raised in my mind, being a such big company CTS shouldn't plan properly and have sufficient number of interview panels to cover the candidates?????

The time was around 5.30 PM and the one and only person who was interviewing was in a hurry to leave for the day, since he had some personal committments. These HR persons, were started bugging the interviewer to interview few more candidates and he finally accepted to do so...

Then the time was around 7:00 and the interviewer was totally out of patience and started to leave for the day without interviewing us (Myself and there were around 20+ candidates who were waiting from morning). Finally, these bacha HR's were not sure what to do and what reason they suppose to provide us. Then they finally discussed on how to manage the situation and came up with pre-hire form to pacify everyone o[censored]s and asked to fill the same. There was a promise from HR stating that everyone will receive a call on Monday (that is on 23rd May) to have further discussions over phone. It is already week over and I could see none of the candidates who filled the form have received any such calls from the HR persons.

Just wanted to be more clear, If CTS is planning for interview sessions just for eye-wash or for time pass during saturday's then we are not the right candidates to do so...

I'm sure, I will not receive any call further regarding the second round or for the HR discussions anymore as a follow-up for the interview happened in 21st May. That is the reason I'm spending time to draft this e-mail to make you guys know how bad we are treated and how pathetic the interview sessions with CTS are happening in Chennai.

Would like to say one last thing, we as IT employees only get weekends to spend time with our family and kids, don't plan for timepass interviews and fake interview panels during saturday and make us to wait from morning to evening and waste our time. Which is not at all ethical and really creates such a bad impression on the entire company profile.

I have really experienced bad saturday on 21st May, since I have done my night shift work previous day and didn't even slept properly. You bloody guys made me to wait in the lobby for entire day, without even conducting the second round interview, with the burning eyes...

I'm damn sure, I'm not going to get any call further regarding the next round interview. I'm least bothered about the same. But wanted to highlight the concerns regarding interviews happening with Cognizant (CTS) company in chennai. I would definitely share my experiences with my surroundings and friends, and insist them to not apply for any role in CTS and do not co-operate if they receive any call from CTS HR saying there is a bloody, (scheduled) interview is going to happen on Saturdays...

So atleast you people will plan for good interview experiences in future for the candidates who reaches CTS for job...

I'm highly frsutrated, and I was thinking about to use unethical words... but to be as a professional, I don't want to do so. I expect CTS is a professional company and will not follow the same in future.