BusinessLine on Campus: Cognizant’s Vice President of Human Resources Says B-Schools are Looking to Partner With Companies Such as Cognizant to Make Curricula Industry-Relevant

“If you look at the way our business and customer requirements have shaped up, they are moving from traditional business models to the digital economy,” says Sriram Rajagopal. “We are helping customers understand how to engage their businesses with the new era of digital. When we say digital, it is very hard to define what ‘digital’ is because it encompasses a lot of things. It is data science, big data, mobility, IoT (the Internet of Things)…you cannot expect B-school curriculum to cover all of these things. Some of it has to come from the industry as well.” Excerpts:

“B-schools are open to understanding what is relevant to the industry. There are some theory-based fundamentals that they need to teach. But beyond that, they are also looking at electives where companies like us can partner with them to customize the curriculum and make it more industry-relevant.

Different models are emerging. Five years back, a one-year MBA was not considered a full-fledged MBA. Today, it has almost become a norm for people with experience. We see a lot of progressive moves by top B-schools in wanting to be relevant in the current environment.  As long as industry-academia interaction is solidified where inputs are taken to be in touch with the market and the progress of the industry, I think we are in a good place.

We largely hire people into Cognizant Business Consulting (CBC), but we also have other service lines, such as Emerging Business Accelerator (EBA), for which we hire MBAs. EBA is our equivalent of a startup culture in Cognizant, where Cognizant funds ventures that have business potential. We use MBAs for the go-to-market strategy, for solution architecting, for understanding the space in which the business team wants to develop a solution and the scope for revenue potential.

We have a very strong industry-academia relationship team. When we say B-school hiring, it is not just hiring. It is about partnering with B-schools in providing a view of the industry, the needs and wants of the industry. We have a forum where we collaborate with the faculties of business schools and help them understand where the industry is headed. We also work with students. We tailor-make and deliver courses, and have guest faculty options as well.

The fact that these MBA hires have been to a top business school takes care of the fundamentals. Over and above the screening criteria that have already been taken care of by B-schools, we look for good attitude and adaptability to the Cognizant culture. There is a unique secret sauce that has made us successful—customer focus. It’s all about empathizing with a customer. That apart, we look for good communication skills. When you are working with a global clientele, you need to be able to articulate your views and be confident in expressing them. We also look for good EQ (emotional intelligence quotient) coupled with IQ (intelligence quotient), especially in our situation where we are known to be exceptional in our customer focus. This requires a good understanding of our customers’ businesses and their challenges. These are the things that we look for in fresh graduates.

We also hire executive MBAs. These are people who are from premier B-schools, have gone through a one-year program, and have at least five years of experience. We look at their professional experience and management education, a potent combination for some of the middle management roles that we want to hire them for.”