Working at CDW — Reviews by Employees

As many complaints as I have heard, I actually like CDW. I have been there 3 years and yes it has had its up's and down's but you make of it what you do. There is tons of networking there if you do want to go other directions, and there is a lot of money to be made if you have motivation. They do hire idiots, and a lot of complainers that just want the world given to them, but if you go in with drive, a long term goal, and are smart at how you attack the job, you can do great. Any complaints you hear are people who are lazy, are dumb, or think they are deserving, or got to comfortable and lost big accounts. The pay could be better but if you are good at what you do you can find out how to make the money. Middle management can be annoying and the requirements if you aren't hitting your number do suck but if you try and are creative and like it, you will be very successful. The environment is light hearted, but don't let it fool you, one act up and you could be gone. If you aren't liked you can be dispensable. And if you do hate it, it wasn't for you, but even if you like it a little stay and take the experience, they do have a great training program that a lot of companies are impressed with.

I have been with CDW for about 5 years and it has slipped in the past few years. With the recession that we just went through you need to expect it. Im still in sales and have been through a few divisions, never done amazing but have done ok.
Pay is OK, about average for the industry. Benefits are fine, nothing great. Never had an issue with job security, not sure why everyone is complaining about here. Work life balance for a sales job is good. I average around 10 hours a day, but can come and go as I please (within reason). Career potential is not very good, you can become a manager, but just about every other option is a lateral move. Location is great, right in the middle of the loop and across from Union station downtown. I work with some awesome people who are extremely smart, also work with some people that I would like to see their diploma. Work environment is alright, nothing special.

This is not my first job and I know firsthand that there are some truly crappy companies out there, CDW isnt one of them. Its sure as hell not perfect but I think its good. I think it has a lot to do with your manager, they really can break the deal. I never had a 'bad' manager so that may be why its been a decent place for me. Also I dont suck up and am not buddies with my bosses (I dont think he even likes me much haha). Sure there are office politics, but you get that everywhere.

Unlike your mother told you, you are not special. You are not smarter than everyone, you are not fantastic You are just another number, until you prove yourself. You get out of CDW what you put into it.
I made a 157k last year. Not because I sucked my manager dick, not because I brown nosed, but because I worked hard and smart. While other people were complaining about what opportunities they didn't have, I grabbed the ones that were out there. I hustled.
Really, what did you think? Sell, and you earn money. that is simple.
CDW has changed. It used to be a more fun, co-worker focused place to work. But, you know what, fuck the bagels. Fuck the tshirts and other stupid give aways. You know what I want, a place that I can go and make as much money as I can. All of my friends make over six figures. I have some that make 350k+.
Waaa..... you made 35k last year. Shut up, and sell something. Waaaa- I had to work through lunch, fuck you- go work at Kohls.
CDW is a place for sales people...SALES. Customer focus- Value- professionalism are all to get more sales.
Man, you pussies are retarded.

I was hired by then-Berbee about seven months before CDW purchased us. In previous positions, I had been through acquisitions - both as the acquirer and as the acquired. None of those go as smoothly as anyone plans, but I have to say that my experience so far (I am a project manager) has been very positive... largely because my work has been little impacted by the acquisition.

I have been a project manager for more than 15 years and in IT since 1979 - I have seen my fair share of engineers. I work with the best Cisco and (more rarely, since I am not often assigned to these projects) Microsoft engineers I have had the opportunity to meet.

CDW hires more than just sales reps. Every one of the people on this site looks like they came from sales. I will admit that sales is a tough job but to blame the company for your inability to sell is not fair. Own up to the fact you can't sell IT solutions and go become a waiter.

CDW is a great company to work for. Great work environment (love my coworkers and boss!) and great benefits. However, they lied to me about how much money I would make. In my first year, I made less than $30k. And, because of their brand new goal structure, my second year doesn't look like it will be much better. When I was hired I was told I would make $35k my first year, between $40k-$50k second year, and $80 my third. The truth is, that it might be possible for me to make 80k my third year, but this is not without struggling through my second year making about 30k again. They take your commision check if you do not reach your goal. And they don't set your goal for you until mid-month. So, it's hard to know what to shoot for.
If you can wait out a few rough years, you might like CDW. But be prepared to make peanuts until your in your third year.

Brace yourself, this is a long one, but it's the truth and very informative...
I am currently still employed with CDW but am looking to leave ASAP! : )
Let me explain my situation. I graduated from college in mid 2006 and started CDW in late 2006. So basically CDW was my job right out of college. I should've known something was fishy when the recruiter practically hounded me and tried to convince me how great of career CDW could offer me. Anyway, I ended up taking the job, with alot of false expectations. For one, my recruiter never told me that during the 6 weeks of training, we had to take tests. If we were to fail one of these tests, we would have one chance to retake it, and if we were to fail again, we would be out of a job. That was a big shocker for me once I had turned down other job opportunities to start this one. Since I was already there, I just made sure I passed, which I did, but unfortunately a few weren't so lucky. Out of about a class of 40 I would say about 5 or 6 failed out of the class and never made it on to the floor. Otherwise, the training class was fun. I got along with everyone pretty well, so it was nice. Even the trainers were pretty cool. One nice thing that CDW did for us while in training, was they let us go to the great 3 million dollar christmas party in Chicago. It was all expensive paid, and we were able to bring a guest. It was a wonderful experience, and I will always be grateful to CDW for it. Unfortunately, they no longer have that huge party. Each location has their own party now, and let me tell you, it's definitely nothing like the 3 million one. Anyway, the recruiter had also told me that I would make about 40k my first year, then I would make about 60k my second year, then my third year I would make about 80-100k. Well before you get all excited, let me tell you that this is false. The reality of the situation is your first year you will most likely make about 32-34k with 34k being above average. Your second year on, on average you could make about 40-45k. Most people top off at around 45k. I know people who have been in SMB sales for 3-5 years and they are making about 45k. If you have steallar accounts, it is possible to make 80k in this position, but I can literally count on one hand how many people really obtain this feat. Out of 400 AM's about 4 come to mind who have obtained these numbers. So basically, this is why I rate the PAY a 2. For a college grad right out of school it is decent money. But be careful of this, because it is based on salary (30k)+ commission (and commission is hard to come by) & Spiff(also hard to come by sometimes) which means that you are not getting constant raises which means that you could tap out fast. You could end up making 35k your first year (like I did) and still could be making 35K into your second year, like I am now. The system is designed for you to make about 40-45k before tapping out, but you'll have to work for it. As far as RESPECT is concerned, it is all a luck of the draw. I think that CDW is just like any other job when it comes to this. Myself personally, I lucked up by having a great manager that was very respectful and flexible, and I can honestly say that I could call about 70% of my team mates friends/almost like family. I know some of my other coworkers who weren't on my team, complained numerous times about the lack of respect they endured on their respective teams, so I know a lack of respect is definitely an issue on other teams. The BENEFITS aren't the best, meaning they aren't personal choice or anything, but they are good. You have medical, dental, vision, prescription, 401k, etc. As far as JOB SECURITY is concerned, I will keep it honest, it is sales. Unfortunately in sales environments, unless you are bringing money into the company, you are looked at as disposable, which means the job security in this field is low. The one thing I will say, is that, at your manager's discretion, if you are on the chopping block, there are ways of going about getting an exception in order to have another attempt at hitting your goal. But once again, this is up to your manager's discretion. As far as WORK/LIFE BALANCE, the days are long! But I will say it depends on your manager as well. I think I had one of the best managers you could probably have had there, so my experiences may be a little different than some others, but leaving early, coming in late, time off, etc. was never a big issue. As long as you did your 9 hours a day you were ok. CAREER GROWTH, it's possible, and especially in Chicago (the headquarters) there's tons of other departments to get in to. In Voorhees, NJ, not too much. Unless you want to do presales or sales management, there's not many options, hence the reason I'm leaving. LOCATION, for me voorhees was great, it was near my house, and we also had a lot of people from Philadelphia that commuted there, so I think the location is pretty ok. CO-WORKER COMPETENCE, some are really bright, some not so much...you will see all types. WORK ENVIRONMENT, it's sales, there's always an urgency and huslte and bustle with sales, so it can be annoying at times. They really have a "What have you done for me lately attitude" It's always push
overall:
Pros: Great place for young people right out of college. You will still kind of feel like you're in college dealing with your co-workers a lot will be around your age or close to it. Benefits, Atmosphere, People, Money(if you're just out of college)

Cons: Hard to make a career out of, Will have to move into management, specialist position, mundane work,work life/balance,job security

**Could be your best experience or your worst. It's also great for people without a college degree who want to work hard to become a manager. It will be a hard road to climb, but it's an option. If you've graduated from college, I would suggest this for a temporary fix until you can find a career that you like. Unless you want to move into another position

Well let me start off by saying that I am still employed here unlike 95% of the other people that reviewed CDW. Ive been with the company for a bit over 2 years and still think it is a very good company to work for.

I am in sales and most of my pay is bonuses and or incentives. I started in small business where I did fairly well-I made about 60k my first year. I since have moved onto medium large sales and I am not doing so well but the potential is there. I sit in between two people one who makes over 500k and the other who makes about 200k. So it is definetly attainable.

Respect
I have never had an issue here. The managers who I have had so far have been great. Not only on a personal level they are easy to relate to but they are smart and know how to manage all different types of people.

Benefits
401k matched 50%, 1 week sick, 2 weeks vacation, they will pay for most of your school if you take classes, you get to buy merchandise at cost, computer purchase program, christmas bonus (pretty small), free lunches quite often, vendor sponsored activities 2 times a month or so, and tons of prizes and vacations that you can win. Free bagels twice a week and ice cream once a week. The spiffs and activities were much better when I first started but I still think they are good for a company of this size.

Job Security
Its not as bad as some people have portrayed it but it is a sales job so there is no point for them to keep you if you dont produce. If you dont hit 80% of your goal for 3 straight months you will get written up. Personally I think that they have to many under performing people here that they keep on the payroll.

Work/life balance
I usually do work fairly long hours however I can leave early if I want to. Some people I work with put in 7-8 hours a day and others put 12+. After youve been there for a while you can get away with it much more often. My boss has never said anything to me about putting in more hours or about me leaving early.

Career Potential
Its a huge company so there are tons of things you can get into or move up into. That being said if you do a poor job in one segment why would they move you into another?

Location
Right next to union station in Chicago-Cant be any better, 3 locations in IL suburbs, I think they are great

Coworkers

Some people I work with are some of the smartest people I have ever met other are complete idiots and should work at a fast food place. That being said I think that it is definetly above average. Most of the idiots are newer people they are hiring who are straight out of college.

Work enviorment
No complaints really but nothing special.

All in all
Dont listen to all the reviews you read on here from all the people who are no longer with the company. I am not making much money currently but still think its a great company to work for. If you come to work and work hard you will be rewarded. Not perfect but still good

I love CDW. I have worked for another company, unlike many of the complainers, and CDW is a much better workplace! A decent amount of the people that work at CDW are straight out of college, which I think contributes to this "grass is always greener" think they have. If you're good at your job here you are rewarded substantially. You get to work from home 1-2 days per week. Even if you don't have that ability, you can can still come in between 7-9am and leave respectively at 4-6pm. That alone is a HUGE benefit. Aside from that we have breakfast (bagles and pastries) provided for us twice a week. CDW subsidises gym expenses for co-workers too.
We have a perfect downtown location, across the street from the train that can get you to and from the suburbs in under an hour. If you take the city train or bus you only have to walk a block. Commuting is very easy.
If you don't do well here, you don't make much money. Pay is very incentive based. But the co-worker morale is always a concern. CDW does a lot to make sure people are happy. They've adjusted the dress code 3 times in the past 3 years to accomodate coworkes. In the part of the company that I work for everyone is treated with respect and people are lighthearted. Laughter is extrememly common in the cubicals and hallways. There is a large sense of "Togetherness" here.

The only way to be terminated from your job is to commit a crime or to underpreform to the point where cost analysis makes your desk a liablity because you're not bringing in enough money to pay for it. (In which case you're not working at all anyway)

CDW is a great place to work. Its commical that it has a negative review. I assume the people posting the negative responses are also the people that are very near being terminated.

This company is a much changed organization since I came on board. It's not THAT bad if you're just starting out, but for someone like me who is in the middle of new hire and long-time veteran, I'm getting screwed. Other than that this company is a great company to work for "right out of college". If you have sales experience or are looking for appealing compensation right out of the gate, look elsewhere.

My ratings will be focused for those who are right out of college as that is the majority of people who are hired into CDW:

Pay: has changed, not as competitive, but that's not your worry, your biggest worry will be actually finding people to call on to spend money. You are given no book of business, you have to find companies in an area that is already tapped dry by thousands of other AM's in the company. It was hard when I started but I got good at it and built a book. Today it is near impossible.

Respect: I've never been mistreated and management has always given me very good respect. I've worked at places with MUCH worse. You just have absolutely no control over your future, it's in the hands of big-wigs in a corner office who have no idea what it is like to be in your position. But this is to be expected in a large fortune 500 company.

Benefits: awesome for young people, families I'm not sure. Good health coverage options, good discount on workout facility right across the street, matches 50% of your 401k and 100% vested after 3 years. I'm happy.

Job Security: You're 10 times more likely to quit than get fired. The write-ups: I've never seen happen, and if you are that bad you probably would have quit by then. There's people who have worked here much longer than they should have been allowed to before getting canned or quit.

Work/Life Balance: I ranked this in the middle. You have to work a lot of hours, but you can manage some leniency. I play sports/activities twice during the week where I leave hours earlier than I should, I just work hard while I'm here and no one complains to me about how long I'm here. Make your managers look good with sales and effort and they'll leave you alone. Many vendors of ours have reps who practically sleep and live at CDW, and people thought CDW works long hours...

Career Potential: slowly getting toward the negatives here. Recent changes in the company are cutting down on these opportunities. Moving vertically in sales is harder, but horizontally into support or technical positions has plenty of opportunity. Depends on what you want to do.

Location: Both Chicago and Vernon Hills are in good spots. Chicago downtown is right across the streen from Union Station and the El Train is 3 blocks away. Bus routes start and end just a few blocks away too.

Competence: Middle of the road. Some people are very good at what they do, been doing this a long time that you can learn from, others are just naturals right out of the gate, and some people you wonder how they even got hired in the first place.

Environment: it's your typical cubicals, you may be right on top of people in the training period but it's not as closterphobic as some say it is. There's free food almost everyday, managers are really busy so they aren't looking over your shoulder. You can hear other people's conversations all day long. Some don't like this, but this helped me learn sales by listening to others on the phone.

Overall, great company to work for if you're looking to get started. You stick it out here and you WILL learn how to sell. I feel like I can sell almost anything to anyone at this point, you get to sell 100,000 different products, there's always a new reason to call into a company each day.

However, I am looking to be on the way out simply because they are limiting my opportunity to grow in sales and make serious cash. I could make mediocre money and get by okay, but I want to make the big bucks and CDW is slowly changing the pay structure to keep that to a minimum. That and I don't feel like building another book of business from scratch after I've already done it twice in two years. I've developed my sales skills to the point where I shouldn't have to find my own leads through google.com and waste time calling into phony businesses.

Proceed with caution, but for people just joining the company it can't get very bad for you, just for the people already working there.