Terrible experience - if you are not Indian and getting a senior job, think again - Assistant Vice President Cognizant Employee Review

1.0
Feb 21, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Compensation not bad. Bonuses are good, but unreliable and not directly related to your own contribution. Some really great people among the mass of junior workers and Indian-descent men who have been promoted way beyond their ability.

Cons

I was hired as an AVP to develop a business. Budget cut immediately. Wanted tier-1 thinking and leadership, but with no investment. Ended up reporting to a young man in India who literally pulled all of my team away from me without telling me (or them). I was told on my exit that 70% of non-Indian descent people are gone within 12-months. Confirmed that my SVP had cut ALL the white people from his organization. Not worth the law suit. I found another senior job (outside the company) within a couple of weeks. If you think you are going to have a senior role in this company, think again. There are many many examples of people who've been told one thing and then faced another reality. They want tier-1 people to take their ideas, and then cut them. Finally, I was "released" with 2-days notice. Yes, really... they fired an AVP with 2-days notice.

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5.0
Apr 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good and the bedt onr

Cons

No cons that i can think of

1.0
Jun 5, 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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