Stay Away - Consultant Cognizant Employee Review

2.0
12 Dec 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Salary competitive. Most of the people were very pretty.

Cons

This company touted itself as a boutique consulting firm, yet they allowed themselves to be acquired by an Indian IT services firm (Cognizant Technology Solutions). The parent company does NOT have a consulting practice - they are trying to build one (by acquiring companies such as SVC), but they have made NO real strides. The purpose of these acquisitions in to bump up Cognizant's quals for when they sell work or try to front wall street. So SVC is now the IME practice, which is sort of a little island in and of itself, but is becoming more and more exposed to Cognizant. To help you understand, the SVC resources make up ALL of the non-Indian nationals in Cognizant Technology Solutions. The two cultures are so disparate you cannot understand what, besides money, would have driven the partners to sell to an Indian BPO. The SVC/IME practice has pretty much been sheltered from the true inner workings of its parent company, but once the buyout happens, there's gonna be a lot of rude wake up calls. Do NOT join this company! HR is using SVC and hire-ins to the IME practice as a front to funnel in badly needed US-nationals to other projects (read up on the H1-B belt tightening). If you join, you risk being handed off to some project outside IME in Omaha Nebraska and they will try to force you to relocate. You will basically be treated like an offshore resource.

Explore other reviews about Cognizant

5.0
21 Jan 2026
Anonymous intern
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

good company to work for as an intern, I learned a lot and was able to really collaborate and work with everyone

Cons

It is remote so it is harder to reach out to toher

1.0
5 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

A potential inroad into large client companies (Leave Cognizant ASAP) You aren't unemployed.

Cons

It's a body shop. Clients will view you accordingly. Contractors cannot be trusted with most tasks. You must be siloed (No room for growth) so you don't break anything. Your actual job is to fulfill gaps in the client's grunt work even if out of scope. If you don't, the hammer falls from client and Cognizant. Wages well below industry standards. 1% annual raises only exist because legally they must exist. Takes full advantage of H-1B slave system, where employees' families and homes will be thrown into a furnace if you aren't keeping Cognizant happy no matter what. Employees are complacent in their slavery. Management is just happy to get their extra crumbs and will reinforce the bad culture. C-suite is opaque. If you are familiar with India's caste system you will understand how "lessers" are treated. This also happens in a literal sense, you aren't totally safe just because you are the favored skin tone. Takes full advantage of modern white collar culture. "Your racist actions aren't actually racist if you aren't Caucasian." Expect the uphill battle to be even more steep if you're not Southeast Asian. You will hunt for your own work most of the time. Cognizant is not helpful in any regard. They exist to skim off the top and nothing else.

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