IT service provider Cognizant Technology Solutions plans to hire close to 12,000 fresh graduates

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this year. The company added 10,300 employees in the last quarter to take the total headcount to about 78,400 as of December 31, 2009.

“We will hire 12,000 college students this year,” Lakshmi Narayanan, vice-chairman of Cognizant, said at the CII seminar on cyber security held on Saturday.

“Hiring fresh graduates brings up the challenge of imposing controls to make them adhere to security guidelines within the organisation. They are exposed to the internet and other electronic gadgets and are used to constantly sharing their experiences with friends over the web. They are initially uncomfortable to adjust to corporate regulations on cyber security,” he added.

For over a year, Cognizant has been refraining from giving guidance on fresh recruitments. The company has only been reporting net employee additions along with periodical financial results.

After freezing fresh recruitments in the first two quarters of the last year (January - December), Cognizant made 700 job offers to final semester students at Anna University’s constituent colleges in Q4. The company then started inducting lateral entrants in Q3. While Cognizant globally added 400 employees in Q2 last year, it recruited approximately 3,900 professionals during the Q3.

In the wake of a slow market recovery in 2009, Cognizant reported about 24 per cent increase in net profit to $535 million compared to $430.80 million for 2008.