Pros
First, I'm baffled by all the 5 star reviews where this is the best place ever worked, benefits second to none, etc. I'm well connected to many areas in the company, and have never known anyone so happy and pleased with the company. I'm sure they exist somewhere, but find the reviews here disproportionately positive to my experience. I'll try to be as objective as possible here. The pros are few. Obviously the company name. Though I will say that I've found that CVS' reputation sometimes hurts future employment opportunities if they're familiar with the company. We are generally not well regarded in the areas where there's a presence (e.g. RI, AZ, IL) so I recommend differentiating yourself from the norm while interviewing. Also the size. Gigantic company so in some cases, you can develop a role into what you want it to be since we're so overwhelmed with work. But that totally depends on who you work for and can change at any moment, and this is changing for the worse as layoffs continue. Related to that, since there's so much turnover, if you make an effort to befriend colleagues and network, it will pay dividends later as we scatter to the four corners professionally. "We're in this together" attitude. Not all of us, but as you network and work through the daily grind you'll identify a small subset of people over time with feelings, difficulties and frustrations similar to yours. Keep those people close, depend on them for help, and in turn go out of your way to help them too. You will bond with them as you power through your tenure here in ways you might not anywhere else as you relate to each others' struggles. Diversity, equity and inclusion. If you fall in one of these categories, you're likely going to be Teflon here, but if you're not...
Cons
Here we go... Benefits. The people who are touting the benefits here must not know what's available elsewhere. I suggest potential employees ask for the benefits package with pricing to evaluate for yourself if this matters to you. The irony is being a health care company, our benefits aren't anything to brag about, especially cost-wise. I'd rate it as average at best. Pay. It varies wildly. Sometimes people get really good salaries if they know the right people, negotiate well, and/or in an in-demand position. On average, in my experience hiring both contractors and salaried employees, we do not pay well for most. I think we have the attitude that we're CVS and that should count for something. Communication. Yes, any large company has issues with this, but we're truly abysmal. Even through the latest round of layoffs, we were not asked for input and did not know who was cut on our teams until the day of in most cases. Only executives seemed to know what was happening. Your reporting structure generally treats the sharing of information as only on a need-to-know basis, unless you happen to have an unusually close relationship with them. Working environment. It's still a hodgepodge of WFH, hybrid and (mostly) in the office people. They're working towards eliminating or severely limiting the WFH. First it was 2 days in the office, in September it's 3 days in the office...you get the idea. The layoffs cut a lot of WFH people. If you are discussing a WFH or hybrid position, I highly recommend attempting to get something in writing dealing with this. Of course, they can always just cut you, and there's no getting around that. Unless you can get some sort of commitment to a severance of some sort in your offer if that were to happen. Job security. There is none. Leadership says all the right things, and some of them really do care and feel horrible about what's happening, but unfortunately, cannot change things. The cutting makes little sense as to the criteria used. I've seen both solid and subpar people cut, really new hires and people who've been with the company for over a decade cut, executives and entry-level people cut. Nobody is safe and more rounds of layoffs are in the works. I feel that it's an extremely risky time to start a job here while we're still hemorrhaging people, no matter what they say to you. Leadership. Totally hit and miss. You can work for someone truly great, but then that person is cut, there's one of our countless reorgs or they leave and you report to someone new. And that person is unlikely to be nearly as great. I've seen it happen, and I've been through it a number of times. Morale. It's at an all-time low overall, at all levels. Don't fall for the spin. If you're one of the very few who are interviewing now, as you walk through the halls, look at the faces and how few are smiling or laughing, and how quiet it is for a company of this size. I cannot recall working anywhere else this depressing. Overall. My recommendation if CVS is an option for you is to only take the position if you're aware of all of the above, and know that it can go away at any time, and it's your best option. And know that you are highly unlikely to make a career here, just use this experience as a stepping stone and to help you appreciate the next step in your career. Don't take my word for it, but check around here and elsewhere for what people spin. I'd disregard the people singing our praises, as well as the the ones who were (un)lucky to be just laid off, and focus on the ones somewhere in the middle to get a better picture.