I applied through an employee referral. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Cognizant (Charlotte, NC) in Sep 2010
Interview
Recruitment team do first level screening. Resume is reviewed by the hiring manager. First round of technical / domain interview. Hiring manager provide feedback to Recruitment team. Recruitment team will negotiate salary, designation. If there is a disconnect will go back to hiring manager and they will decide to go forward or not depending on their urgency of requirement. If it is critical they get involved in the negotiation and will provide a better offer