CDW
CDW Career Growth & Development
Frequently Asked Questions
Career growth at CDW is built around internal mobility, structured development programs, mentorship, and opportunities to grow across roles, functions, and geographies.
- Career ownership and progression: CDW employees often describe growth as something they can actively shape over time. Current employees highlight career paths that span different business units, locations, and leadership stages, showing that progression is not limited to a single track. CDW’s Global Career Framework also gives coworkers visibility into how roles fit within the organization and where they can grow next.
- Structured development and learning opportunities: CDW supports development through formal programs across career stages. Its ESG report highlights global onboarding, LinkedIn Learning, Sales Academy, Sales Residency, Tech Academy, ACE, Evolve IT, Emerging Leaders, and Leadership Academy. In 2023, 79% of coworkers activated LinkedIn Learning, completing 25,900+ courses and watching 596,700+ videos.
- Mentorship and support systems: Mentorship is a recurring theme in employee stories. One current employee says she had “fantastic leaders and mentors” who regularly held career discussions with her, while another describes leaders as coaches who opened doors, built confidence, and trusted her with stretch work. CDW also supports growth through programs like LIFT Mentorship and leadership development pathways.
- Early-career and internship pathways: CDW’s internship and early-career programs appear to be meaningful entry points for long-term growth. Employee stories show how internship experiences can translate into full-time roles, stronger business understanding, broader networks, and eventual leadership opportunities. CDW also positions its internship programs around learning, mentorship, and meaningful work.
- Cross-functional and evolving work: CDW offers opportunities to grow by working on real business challenges, not just static role ladders. Employees describe moving across sales, delivery, communications, talent development, and strategic initiatives, often gaining broader experience through stretch assignments, transformation work, and cross-functional collaboration.
- External review signals: External reviews you shared reinforce this picture. Glassdoor and Indeed themes frequently mention learning opportunities, strong onboarding, mentoring, networking, paid certifications, and room to grow across different roles.
Bottom line: Career growth at CDW appears strongest for people who want to learn continuously, build relationships, and pursue opportunities across functions or locations. The company offers both formal development infrastructure and real internal mobility, with growth shaped by mentorship, initiative, and long-term contribution.
CDW's Candidate Tradeoffs
If you’re weighing whether CDW is the right fit, these are the core tradeoffs to consider.
- CDW places greater emphasis on cross-functional mobility and long-term leadership development than on faster near-term salary and compensation growth.
CDW Employee Perspectives
CDW supports career growth through strong leadership, mentorship, and ongoing career conversations that help employees build skills and prepare for future opportunities. The company’s approach emphasizes both day-to-day support and exposure to leadership examples that shape long-term development.
“I have had fantastic leaders and mentors at CDW. Each has supported and pushed me in my current role, all while ensuring they are regularly having career discussions with me. It is through these leaders that I have also developed my personal leadership style, as I had a front row seat to theirs.“
CDW supports career growth through internal mobility, giving employees opportunities to explore different roles, locations, and career paths as their interests and strengths evolve. Its approach emphasizes flexibility and long-term development, allowing coworkers to build broad experience while pursuing new challenges across the business.
“CDW has allowed my career to take many different directions from covering accounts across the country, to moving to San Francisco in 2020 to become a Professional Services seller and then moving back to Chicago in 2023 to pursue management and now get back to my roots in the Vertical Markets.”
CDW supports career growth through leaders who act as coaches, create visibility, and open new opportunities for employees to stretch beyond their current experience. Its approach emphasizes mentorship, trust, and development through real responsibility.
“I’ve been lucky to have great mentors and leaders that I’ve got to work with throughout my career at CDW. Good leaders have been essential to my growth and development, as they have not only served as a coach, but also opened opportunities through their networks, and trusting me to do work I may have never done before.”
CDW’s internship experience helps early-career talent build a strong understanding of the business, its value proposition, and its capabilities in ways that translate directly into customer-facing success. The company’s approach emphasizes practical learning that prepares interns to form stronger relationships and contribute confidently in full-time roles.
“Throughout my internship, I was able to really get a feel for the role and understand our value proposition and our capabilities. This has helped me tremendously as I’ve been able to articulate this to my customers and form better relationships with them.”
CDW creates broad opportunities for connection across the business, helping employees build relationships through intentional networking events and shared in-person experiences. Its approach emphasizes access, visibility, and community-building as part of early career growth.
“CDW provides endless opportunities for you to be in spaces with so many different people from all sides of the company. There are so many events such as speed networking or office days that allow you to meet others and bring them into your network.”
CDW Employee Reviews
CDW's Benefits
Defines roles and sets expectations for success
Encourages knowledge sharing and cross-functional collaboration
Job training & conferences
Offers apprenticeship programs
Offers mentorship program
Provides formal manager training and leadership development
Provides online course subscriptions
Provides opportunities to take on expanding responsibilities
Provides personal development training
Provides structured early-career growth opportunities
Provides structured onboarding for new employees
Provides tuition reimbursement
Provides virtual coaching services
Documented career progression frameworks
Documented path to leadership development
Encourages lateral mobility to expand skills and impact
Promote from within
