India TAG Hiring Policy

(V 1.6)
 INDIA TALENT ACQUISITION GROUP (TAG)

HIRING POLICY (V 1.6)

Prepared By Reviewed by Approved By
Name Shriram Subramanian Lavanya Nandakumar Rajeev Menon
(223898) (140684) (186264)
Date September 25, 2017 September 25, 2017 September 27, 2017

Version history:
V 1.1 Annual review and process changes, if any, incorporated.
V 1.2 Annual review process
V 1.3 Annual review & Process changes incorporated (Included T-School & B-School
campus processes, included details on RPO)
V 1.4 Annual review process & Process changes incorporated (Included details on
candidate photograph submission, panel sign-off on candidate photo & included
details on offer generation team)
Formatting changes incorporated
Changes incorporated as part of the Annual review. Inclusion of clause on minimum
V 1.5 qualification required for candidates, BU wise. Included clause on Interview
Management App (IM App)

Inclusion of a clause on interview travel reimbursement for Director and above

V 1.6
candidates

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Contents
1. Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 3

2. Scope .............................................................................................................................................. 3

3. Definitions........................................................................................................................................ 3

4. Eligibility .......................................................................................................................................... 3

5. Approval .......................................................................................................................................... 5

6. Procedure ........................................................................................................................................ 6

7. Responsibility Matrix ....................................................................................................................... 7

8. Exceptions Handling ....................................................................................................................... 8

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 TALENT ACQUISITION GROUP (TAG) HIRING POLICY

1. Overview
1.1 The Talent Acquisition Group (TAG) Hiring policy provides guidelines for an efficient,
uniform, and competitive hiring process. This addresses key aspects of the hiring process
such as strategies for hiring, recruitment channels, and the selection process.
1.2 The policy was last amended on September 27, 2017.

2. Scope
The policy covers all Associates, including trainees, on the rolls of Cognizant, India and direct
contractors

3. Definitions
The terms and definitions used in this policy are:

3.1 Lateral: Associates with prior relevant work experience, hired through Cognizant’s
mainstream recruitment process
3.2 Trainees: Associates with no prior relevant experience hired directly from campus
3.3 Direct Contractors: Contractors who will be not be on rolls of Cognizant and shall not be
entitled to any benefits governed by Cognizant policies

4. Eligibility
Owing to its reputation, Cognizant is one of the preferred employers on campus and has
privileged access to the cream of students on campuses.

4.1 Recruitment Strategy

Cognizant follows a very stringent recruitment and selection process to hire the best and
brightest professionals in the IT industry. Cognizant’s recruitment strategy takes into
consideration the following factors:
4.1.1 Recruit to develop, grow and retain
4.1.2 Define the need and skills meticulously
4.1.3 Emphasis on background and experience
4.1.4 Stringent and fool-proof selection process (usually 1 out of 11 applicants are
selected)
4.1.5 Premier positioning in premier campuses
4.1.6 Employer of choice in premier engineering campus and B-schools
Note: Cognizant is rated #1 or #2 in all premier and tier 1 campuses

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 4.1.7 Ensure a cultural fit to the organization

4.2 Recruitment Channels

The recruitment channels include campus and lateral recruitment.

4.2.1 Campus Recruitment

The Campus Recruitment process includes the following:
4.2.1.1 Administer aptitude test for students who meet Cognizant’s eligibility
criteria
4.2.1.2 Shortlist students based on performance and schedule interviews
Note: The interview panel comprises both technical and HR teams to
ensure comprehensive and consistent assessment of candidates.
4.2.1.3 Assess prospective candidates in the technical domain of choice
including extra-curricular activities, communication skills, and
willingness to learn
4.2.1.4 Select the best candidates based on overall performance and roll out
the offer letter
4.2.2 Lateral Recruitment
4.2.2.1 Cognizant attracts top talent from the market to fulfill requirements
across various technologies, domains, business analysis, and
business consulting functional areas.
4.2.2.2 Cognizant uses the resourcing strategy to meet requirements through
a multi-channel approach. The actual choice of channels depends on
specific requirements.
4.2.2.3 The various channels employed by Cognizant are:
 Bring Another You (BAY): Internal Employment Referral Program
 Placement Consultants: Used primarily for technical, niche skill
and management professionals
 Advertisements: Print (Newspapers) or Online (Job Portals) or
Social Media
 Walk-in Interviews: Primarily for junior and mid-level IT
professionals
 Off – Campus Recruitment: Hiring fresh, experienced engineers,
management professionals from engineering and management
schools which Cognizant visits, but not directly from Campus
 RPO: Recruitment Process Outsourcing, typically work as in-house
support from an authorized vendor. Professionals from the RPO
unit are required to work from within the Cognizant premises to
support the TAG team during recruitment drives

4.2.2.4 The recruitment process includes the following:

 Eligibility criteria such as work experience and academic

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 qualification is frozen based on discussions with the client & project
team.
 This requirement is communicated to the Global Work Force
Management (GWFM) team, who in turn try to identify suitable
associates within Cognizant.
 In case GWFM is unable to find suitable profiles internally, the
request is flagged to the lateral TAG, who is responsible for
recognizing talent from the market.
 Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria of academic
qualification, years of experience, and technical expertise are
screened through a multi-layered approach & invited for technical
interview(s) by the Sourcing team
 The minimum candidate qualification expected for all BU’s is
degree or diploma in any stream, either full time/part time
 Shortlisted candidates are assessed for their technical
competence, area(s) of expertise, cultural sensitivity, process
orientation, attitude, and team handling capability through one or
more technical & HR interviews
 Selected candidates are extended an offer with the appropriate
designation, compensation, and benefits package, followed by an
Induction program
 Associates who conduct technical interviews need to undergo a
mandatory e-learning course on panelist do’s & don’ts. Only
certified panels shall be allowed to participate in recruitment drives
 Only FTE associates who are part of the Talent Acquisition Group
are eligible to take HR interviews
 If any other Corporate Function associate is nominated as an HR
Panel, the recruiter must provide TAG BU Head sign off
 Selected candidates are extended an offer with the appropriate
designation, compensation, and benefits package, followed by an
Induction program
 Please refer to the recruitment panel policy for more details

5. Approval
5.1 Technical team and TAG: Conduct interviews, assessments and roll out the offer letter to
suitable candidates

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6. Procedure
6.1 Selection Process
The selection process includes the following:
6.1.1 Résumé shortlist: Résumés are evaluated for basic academic and
professional qualifications by the sourcing team
6.1.2 Technical Interview: All shortlisted candidates undergo a technical interview.
The interview panel comprises one or two technically qualified managers who
assess the candidate’s technical knowledge. If required, the candidate may
have another round of technical interview by a different panel. Candidates must
submit one passport size photograph while coming for interview & at least one
level of F2F or VC interview is mandatory. Panels are required to sign off on
the IOS sheet that the candidate interviewed by them matches with the
photograph submitted. Interviews are conducted through an application called
Interview Management App (IM App). This app has enabled on-time availability
of documents from technical panels, thereby enabling closure of positions
within the set SLA. It has also enabled creation of a 100% Go-Green interview
process and ease of documents retrieval to ensure process compliance.
Note: The panelists should be at least one level higher than the recommended
level of the candidate to be hired.
6.1.3 Second Level of Technical or HR Interview: The TAG personnel organize a
personality based HR interview to assess the candidate’s communication skill,
attitude, initiative, stress management, and team handling skills.
6.1.4 Offer Rollout: The technical panel and TAG collectively select the candidates
and roll out the offer. Offers are created by a centralized offer generation team
and recruiters need to share the candidate backpapers with this team with all
mandatory inputs duly filled in
Note: The technical team assists the Global Recruitment team of the Human
Resources Function in selecting the best of the talent across the country. All
sourcing activities are measured against stringent Service Level Agreements
(SLA), and are under the purview of the ISO 9001 and CMMi standards.
6.1.5 Travel Reimbursement for D+ candidates:
In the event a prospective out-stationed candidate at Director & above levels
is invited for a face to face interview, their travel and related expenses will be
sponsored by Cognizant subjected to approvals from the BU and TAG
leadership team.
Travel includes to and fro and would be limited to train / flights and airport
transfers. In case an interview gets extended to late night or is rescheduled to
the next day without prior intimation, overnight accommodation for the
candidate will also be sponsored / facilitated.

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 6.2 Background Checks
Strict monitoring and assessment of the recruitment channels ensures the veracity and
quality of resumes obtained.
6.2.1 Specific reference and background checks are carried out if required. This
includes references from the candidate's last two supervisors or reporting
managers.
6.2.2 Where more rigorous screening is required, Cognizant works with its clients for
definition and then applies the extension to the screening process. Most often,
this includes steps to detect substance abuse.
6.3 Project Allocation
Once recruited, the Associate is allocated to the client once the associate’s identity is
established by:
6.3.1 Providing documents specified in the client’s checklist and;
6.3.2 Proving that they have no criminal record
6.4 Project Access
6.4.1 Access to the client’s systems is provided only when the authorized client
approves the checklist.
6.4.2 Each Associate is required to sign a confidentiality agreement on joining
Cognizant. This legally binding document protects Cognizant and its
customers from any attempts by the Associate to defraud them
6.4.3 Cognizant also encourages these individuals to sign a confidentiality
agreement for the particular client engagement based on a template that is
mutually agreed upon
6.4.4 In addition, Cognizant complies with all procedural and medical requirements
as mandated by the American Immigration Laws
Note:
 Composition of New Recruits: Around 60 percent of the technical work
force that Cognizant adds to its roster every year is sourced from India’s top
Engineering, Science and Management Institutions. The rest are hired
laterally from the market
 Hiring Lead Times: Cognizant has a proven capability to rapidly recruit, train
and deploy consultants to cater to the project requirements. On an average,
the offer-to-joining time for lateral hires varies anywhere from 4-12 weeks
considering the candidate’s notice period with their current employer

7. Responsibility Matrix
7.1 Hiring Managers: Submit required information on skills to be recruited from the market
7.2 TSC: Identify suitable Associates based on project requirement
7.3 TAG Leads: Screen and hire candidates according to requirements

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8. Exceptions Handling
8.1 The benefits of this policy are governed by the terms and conditions of employment in
practice at Cognizant. This is subject to change from time to time. Cognizant reserves the
right to amend its policies as necessitated. All statutory requirements are applicable as
mandated by law
8.2 All exceptions to this will be directed to TAG India Head