Growth of company above all else; no concern for employees personal time or career objectives - Project Manager CDM Smith Employee Review

1.0
Aug 17, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-Good fringe benefits (industry standard though). -Lots of opportunities in cutting edge research, design, and construction. -Good networking opportunities. -Strong support for technical expertise and credentials.

Cons

-May require to travel and it is typical to put in 60-hour+ work weeks. -Pay is average for the industry -Taking time off may be looked down upon. It's a matter of pride for many to cash in PTO because they haven't used it and reached the ceiling. Burnout is inevitable. -Management is reactionary rather than proactive. Would rather address project problems as they arise instead of planning for them. -The company is so focused on growth that the growing pains are crippling. They appear to prefer wasting money learning from their mistakes rather than ensuring they have people with the right skills in the right positions. -If management decides on the right position for you, they make it difficult for you to pursue anything else. I believe they have lost many good employees to this practice. -Significant improvements should be made to ensure that jobs are bid with a realistic budget and schedule - using employees' personal time to make up for poorly budgeted projects demonstrates a lack of understanding of the business.

Explore other reviews about CDM Smith

5.0
Apr 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lots of training and opportunities

Cons

Company structure can be confusing

1
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CDM Smith Response
2w
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review! It was great to have you as an employee and wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
3.0
May 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great place to work. Flexibility, work from home options available. Tons of opportunities across multiple disciplines. Work life balance is great. The people are awesome.

Cons

Pay is unfortunately on the really low end of the industry. A lot of turnover because people leave in order to get a better salary due to the low pay. I also don’t like that your manager (RTL) is also a manager for 20-30 people, and you are all under one large group instead of various teams. The matrix system is a bit odd to me.

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CDM Smith Response
2w
Thank you for taking the time to write your review. We appreciate your feedback and will keep it in mind when making future decisions to keep us as a top-choice employer. We are thrilled to hear that you liked working with us and valued the flexibility we offer. We too agree, the people are awesome!!
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