Why did you choose the Cognizant Graduate Program, and what’s the best thing about being a grad here?
I chose to join Cognizant’s graduate program because I was drawn to the variety of the work and the broad range of experience you gain. I also knew the power of technology to make a real-world impact on people and businesses, so thought it would be a very forward-thinking and interesting place to be.
The best thing about being a consulting grad at Cognizant is the teams you work with from day 1, everyone has gone out of their way to help us and check in to make sure everything is going well. Especially since you collaborate with many different people across business development, client work and internal Cognizant squads, I found that my network of people grew extremely quickly, making day-to-day work enjoyable.
Tell us about your day-to-day experience with the people, projects and learning resources at Cognizant.
While your workflow won’t change substantially day-to-day, it’s very likely to change between weeks and certainly months. For example, you might be working on business development for both the retail and energy industries. That same week, you might find out you’ve been put on a client project in insurance, so focus all your time on that once it begins. In that way, day-to-day is interesting because you get so much variety and work with such a range of intelligent and experienced people.
Learning is a big focus here, and we have quarterly learning targets as well as ongoing roundtables and informal learning sessions. Cognizant gives you access to a wide range of resources and in general you are encouraged to keep up to date with your skills and knowledge – particularly in areas that interest you and you’re keen to get more involved with in the future.
How has Cognizant influenced your goals and aspirations for the future?
I’ve been lucky to have managers and supervisors who place a lot of trust in me, both internally and with client work, so I’ve found I feel much more confident and have bigger aspirations for the future. I’ve also been lucky to connect with senior consultants and leads who have offered tailored feedback and career advice, which has helped me to shape where I want to be in the future.
Can you tell us what sort of things you’re looking for in a job and workplace?
I look for a workplace that allows you to work in areas that you show interest and aptitude in so that you can upskill and invest in what you’re doing. I also look for a friendly and helpful team that works together, which I’ve found to be the case in the consulting team. I also look for flexibility, and an employer that understands that unexpected things come up sometimes, and to be able to work with you around it.
What qualities do you think are important for success at Cognizant and in the tech industry?
Being able to connect quickly with others and develop relationships/trust with both your internal teammates and external clients. You work extremely closely with people, so you need to have a certain flow with them to be productive and create high-quality outcomes.
Also, I learned about different industries and workstreams quickly and was willing to jump into projects. You can learn a little to prepare, but you need to be open to asking lots of questions as you go and receiving frequent feedback.
What’s your advice for university students who are exploring future opportunities in the Technology and Consulting space?
Just because it’s a technology company, doesn’t mean you need to be an absolute expert in the technology space. Particularly given the range of vendors, software, platforms, and services we partner with/provide; it would be impossible to be an expert in all of them. Instead, do a lot of your research and come prepared with any questions, but trust that you can work it out and bring value to whatever you are working on.