Management Development Program - hit or miss - Management Trainee McMaster-Carr Employee Review

3.0
20 May 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

People that work there are super smart and have crazy interesting backgrounds. Salary is fine (not THAT great compared to other jobs in Chicago), but the end of year bonus is amazing (3-5 months salary) and the retirement package is amazing (if you stay for 2+ years), and the fact that they pay for any classes you want is amazing.

Cons

There is almost no room for innovation or ownership of your work. If you are in "the operation" (sales, warehouse, finance, etc) it is the same routine of going in, doing your job, and going home. This is not a place for someone who is interested in having their work and their life intersect, as McMaster prides itself on completely isolating your personal life and your professional life.

Explore other reviews about McMaster-Carr

5.0
7 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Salary, benefits, coworkers, work/life balance

Cons

micromanagement at every level and job is boring at times

4.0
16 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Pay/benefits are incredibly generous - People are generally easy/nice to work with - Note that the Systems department seems to be fairly isolated from the negative issues discussed in other reviews (e.g. tension between warehouse workers and management) - I haven't experienced any of those issues within the systems department. In my opinion, Systems is a great place to work and develop as an engineer. - Hybrid work style (3 days in office). Personally, I like hybrid more than both fully in-office and fully remote styles. - Great cafeteria with good food and cheap prices. - Good work/life balance (outside of being on call, I can leave work at work).

Cons

- Work is not super interesting to me. I come from a highly technical, but very different (not ecommerce/industrial supplies), background where I was doing work I was much more interested in. No doubt there are folks in Systems who love the domain though. - While I'm not on call a ton (1-2 weeks every few months), I really hate being on call. I like to leave work at work. Note that joining at least one reliability team is expected within your first year or so.

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