Cognizant Interview Experience for Software engineer (Off-campus) 2023

Hello everyone! I’m Sharing your interview experience at Cognizant it can be very helpful to others who may be preparing for interviews with this company

Interview Date: August 07, 2023

Interview Panel:

1. Interviewer 1 (Lead Engineer)
2. Interviewer 2 (Product Manager)
3. Interviewer 3 (HR Representative)

Interview Experience:

1. Preparation: I had been preparing for the Cognizant multinational information technology interview for a few weeks, reviewing data structure algorithms, and practicing coding problems on platforms like LeetCode HackerRank and GeeksforGeeks. I also thoroughly researched Cognizant Tech Solutions, their products, and their tech stack to ensure that I was well-prepared for the interview and to discuss their specific needs and challenges.

Round 1 – Technical Interview with Lead Engineer (Interviewer 1):

The interview began with a introduction and brief discussion about my resume. Then, we slowly delved into the technical portion of the interview:

• Data Structures and Algorithms Questions: The interviewer asked me to explain the time complexity of various sorting algorithms and their use cases with example. They also asked the coding problem related to finding the shortest path in a weighted graph, which involved using Dijkstra’s algorithm. I discussed all my approach, wrote code on a shared code editor, and optimized it further when prompted.

• System Design Discussion: We had a system design discussion related to building a scalable recommendation engine for an e-commerce platform. I was asked to outline the architecture, database choices, and potential bottlenecks. It was a whiteboard-style discussion where I had to sketch the system architecture and to explain my choices.

Round 2 – Product and Project Discussion with Product Manager (Interviewer 2):

This round focused me more on my experience, product understanding, and how well I could align technical solutions with business needs:

• Project Experience: I was asked to discuss a challenging project with my past experience. I explained that how and what I contributed to the project, the technical challenges faced, and the impact of my work on the product and on the team.

• Product Scenario: The interviewer presented a hypothetical scenario where a critical feature needed to be rolled out quickly due to a competitive threat. They asked me to how I would prioritize tasks, communicate with the team member, and ensure the feature’s successful delivery.

Round 3 – HR and Cultural Fit with HR Representative (Interviewer 3):

This round focused on evaluating my cultural fit with the company and assessing my soft skills:

• Behavioral Questions: I was asked about my work ethic, teamwork experience, and how I handle conflict within a team. I provided examples from my previous roles to support my answers.

• Company Culture: The HR representative explained all the Cognizant’s culture , values and asked how I would contribute to maintaining and enhancing that culture

Post-Interview:

The interview concluded with an opportunity for me to ask questions about the company, the team, and the role. I also received information about the next steps in the hiring process.

Overall Impression:

I left the interview feeling positive about my performance. The technical questions challenged me but were fair, and the interviewers were friendly and engaged throughout. I was excited about the opportunity to join Cognizant and contribute to their innovative projects and it is not impossible for freshers to get a job at Cognizant .

Follow-up:

I sent a thank-you email to the HR representative and interviewers the following day, expressing my continued interest in the position and my gratitude for the opportunity to interview.

• Now, it’s a waiting game to hear back from XYZ Tech Solutions regarding the next steps in the hiring process.