This is an IT firm not a consulting firm. Keep expectations low and you might be satisfied. - Associate Consultant Cognizant Employee Review

3.0
Aug 21, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Growing company: more opportunity for professional growth and also for bonuses than peers (Indian IT service firms) - Above average compensation for similar role as compared to peers (Indian IT service firms) - Buy in upto CEO level for building a strong "consulting" practice. In fact, in some cases you might get actual consulting experience depending on your luck and BU - Ample onsite opportunities should be available, at least after first year. Client side exposure is a big must have in this business. You can earn (relatively) big bucks too if you're working in areas like SAP consulting in the US

Cons

- CTS is not into management consulting. This isn't a "con" by itself but it is a "con" if you'd believed this based on a campus presentation. Majority of "consulting" is business analysis for developing software. For people not familiar with that, it's talking to client employees to understand what they need out of a particular software and then passing the info to the technical team. It's tougher than it sounds. Obviously, IT background folks have a good starting advantage. - work outside of business analysis will mostly be related to secondary research and pre-sales i.e. preparing ppts and docs. This does not change mostly till you're promoted twice so be prepared for "backend" grind and being ordered by people who can "fail" an IQ test (only a mild exaggeration) - Your salary hike will at best, only match that year's campus salary (at offshore) ie if you got a massive hike to a new salary of Rs x that's probably because the salaries being offered on campus were >= Rs x - Unless you're onsite, do not expect client facing role in business development - Given how fast it's growing (and how massive it already is), career advancement is fast becoming an issue similar to larger IT peers (still better than them so - refer #1 in Pros) - unlike other integrated consulting firms, consulting arms are tied into delivery organizations (the ones which develop software) ie your consulting bosses report into delivery bosses. Don't know how this helps building an independent consulting organization at all (refer to my review headline) but I guess that's not even the goal here.

Explore other reviews about Cognizant

5.0
Jul 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Variety of technology stack and project and lot of learning options.

Cons

Limited remort working oppertunity around.

1.0
Jul 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

None, run dont even consider them

Cons

"India-first mentality." The company says it wants to work with people across the Americas and Europe, but many decisions still seem to follow an Indian way of operating without properly considering local labor laws, regulations, and workplace expectations. There are serious concerns about job stability. The company frequently praises itself for creating employment opportunities, but at the same time, it appears to be bringing more employees from India into U.S. roles while letting go of people from the Americas and Europe who have contributed to the company. This creates uncertainty and raises questions about the company's commitment to its existing workforce. Every meeting seems to be focused on AI : AI this, AI that, AI everywhere. Employees are constantly asked to complete AI related training and adapt to AI initiatives, while at the same time letting people go so they can afford AI. Compensation is another area that needs improvement. After my contributions and time with the company, my last salary increase was only $20, which felt extremely discouraging and showed a lack of appreciation for employees' efforts.

1
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