Meet Emily, an Account Manager at CDW
Years in this role? 4 years
Go-to emoji: 
Favorite mid-day snack: blueberry & banana smoothie
What are you listening to while you work: a mix of Taylor Swift, MUNA, boygenius, and Charli XCX
Explain the Account Representative (AR) role to someone who is unfamiliar with the industry.
On a day-to-day basis, I have the privilege of working with a variety of IT decision makers within the NYC Financial Services Vertical. With 1,800+ partners and a wide bench of internal resources across various technologies and services, I am able to help customers navigate the everchanging technological landscape to achieve their goals. Whether it's laptop distribution for WFH users, a cloud migration, security assessment, etc., we help to build a shared vision and deliver executable strategies for complex business problems.
How did you decide to pursue your specific career? What pivotal moments pushed you to where you are now?
When I was deciding on a career choice out of college, I was in a very privileged position to have three job offers all in vastly different fields. I remember that time being incredibly stressful because it felt as if I made the "wrong" choice, this would be a decision that would stay with me for quite some time. To help decide, I made a list in my notes app outlining my wants regardless of the industry I entered. I pulled it up again to reference for this prompt - what I wrote was….
- Long-Term Growth. Which organization do you see the most opportunity in?
- Location. You have always wanted to live in New York City - don’t forget that dream.
- Development/culture. Which organization makes you feel "at home?" Where do you see yourself growing personally and professionally?
I kept finding myself drawn to CDW. Technology was an incredibly exciting field and while I did not necessarily have the technical background with my freshly acquired Marketing degree, I liked that CDW had placed a very strong emphasis on personal and professional growth through enablement, mentoring, and so on.
What would you say is the most difficult part of your job, and what fuels you to continue?
At times, the most difficult part of the job is prioritization. Given our vast portfolio and credibility in the market, CDW has no shortage of customer needs. While it can be easy to chase each and every sale that comes across your desk in the beginning, the longer you stay in the role I think it's important to assess the customer needs, ask questions about expectations/timeline, and make an educated decision for your own time management on what projects are mission critical/offer the most opportunity.
"While I may not have all the answers, I have a wide bench of incredible resources behind me ready to educate, explain trends, and support my customers alongside me."
What does success look like in this role and how is it measured?
To me, I believe that success is measured through one's efforts and customer relationships. While goals are always important, I feel most fulfilled when I've developed a relationship with a customer as a full solutions provider and am given access to complex issues within their IT environment. To me, that shows a level of trust and the potential for long-term growth far beyond what numbers could measure.
What are some must have resources that you would recommend (books, podcasts, certifications, tools, etc.)?
Books: "Never Split the Different," by Chris Voss, "Broke Millennial," by Erin Lowry, and "Broke Millennial Takes on Investing," by Erin Lowry
Podcasts: "How I Built This with Guy Raz" and "Hidden Brain"
What is the best advice you’ve received/heard that you would tell your younger self?
In terms of CDW, the best advice I was given when I started was "you'll never know it all. Utilize your resources and start educating yourself on one aspect where the company is investing - that will be the future." When beginning this role, the term drinking out of a fire hose is the best analogy. Being able to sit back and accept that while I may not have all the answers, I have a wide bench of incredible resources behind me ready to educate, explain trends, and support my customers alongside me.
– CDW Coworker
Start your career journey with CDW.
Years in this role? 4 years
Go-to emoji:
Favorite mid-day snack: blueberry & banana smoothie
What are you listening to while you work: a mix of Taylor Swift, MUNA, boygenius, and Charli XCX
Explain the Account Representative (AR) role to someone who is unfamiliar with the industry.
On a day-to-day basis, I have the privilege of working with a variety of IT decision makers within the NYC Financial Services Vertical. With 1,800+ partners and a wide bench of internal resources across various technologies and services, I am able to help customers navigate the everchanging technological landscape to achieve their goals. Whether it's laptop distribution for WFH users, a cloud migration, security assessment, etc., we help to build a shared vision and deliver executable strategies for complex business problems.
How did you decide to pursue your specific career? What pivotal moments pushed you to where you are now?
When I was deciding on a career choice out of college, I was in a very privileged position to have three job offers all in vastly different fields. I remember that time being incredibly stressful because it felt as if I made the "wrong" choice, this would be a decision that would stay with me for quite some time. To help decide, I made a list in my notes app outlining my wants regardless of the industry I entered. I pulled it up again to reference for this prompt - what I wrote was….
- Long-Term Growth. Which organization do you see the most opportunity in?
- Location. You have always wanted to live in New York City - don’t forget that dream.
- Development/culture. Which organization makes you feel "at home?" Where do you see yourself growing personally and professionally?
I kept finding myself drawn to CDW. Technology was an incredibly exciting field and while I did not necessarily have the technical background with my freshly acquired Marketing degree, I liked that CDW had placed a very strong emphasis on personal and professional growth through enablement, mentoring, and so on.
What would you say is the most difficult part of your job, and what fuels you to continue?
At times, the most difficult part of the job is prioritization. Given our vast portfolio and credibility in the market, CDW has no shortage of customer needs. While it can be easy to chase each and every sale that comes across your desk in the beginning, the longer you stay in the role I think it's important to assess the customer needs, ask questions about expectations/timeline, and make an educated decision for your own time management on what projects are mission critical/offer the most opportunity.
"While I may not have all the answers, I have a wide bench of incredible resources behind me ready to educate, explain trends, and support my customers alongside me."
What does success look like in this role and how is it measured?
To me, I believe that success is measured through one's efforts and customer relationships. While goals are always important, I feel most fulfilled when I've developed a relationship with a customer as a full solutions provider and am given access to complex issues within their IT environment. To me, that shows a level of trust and the potential for long-term growth far beyond what numbers could measure.
What are some must have resources that you would recommend (books, podcasts, certifications, tools, etc.)?
Books: "Never Split the Different," by Chris Voss, "Broke Millennial," by Erin Lowry, and "Broke Millennial Takes on Investing," by Erin Lowry
Podcasts: "How I Built This with Guy Raz" and "Hidden Brain"
What is the best advice you’ve received/heard that you would tell your younger self?
In terms of CDW, the best advice I was given when I started was "you'll never know it all. Utilize your resources and start educating yourself on one aspect where the company is investing - that will be the future." When beginning this role, the term drinking out of a fire hose is the best analogy. Being able to sit back and accept that while I may not have all the answers, I have a wide bench of incredible resources behind me ready to educate, explain trends, and support my customers alongside me.
– CDW Coworker
