Pros
I found this site after a friend decided not to accept a job at Softchoice due to all the negative reviews. There are a lot of extremely positive reviews (suspicious) and extremely negative reviews. Not a lot of balance. I had a good experience at Softchoice. When I joined, I was relatively new to sales and to technology. I started as an ISR (inside sales). I knew nothing and got paid accordingly. After a couple years of experience, I moved into outside sales. By then, I had a little more skill and got paid a little more to "manage my territory". After about 5 years total, I left Softchoice early 2011 and took another technology sales job. I more than doubled my income in the first year and this year looks even better. I recommend that non-experienced individuals who want to get into technology sales consider Softchoice as a career step. There is a lot of turnover in all areas of the company, but I can only speak with authority of the sales areas. A and B players do not stick around long and move to greener pasture. Depending on experience when hired, 5 years or more is a long time. I would say 5 years is about right for someone right out of college. Some B players, but mostly C players stay in sales or move into management. A few D players survive, but most are let go. F players are rarely hired. I was probably a B player. I hit my numbers but never really blew it out. I focused more on increasing my skill set than in hitting the crazy metrics that they measure. That was a good strategy that has paid dividends for me.
Cons
Lots of managers, few leaders. Leadership ability in the senior leadership team and with sales managers is very scarce - they are more of operational managers. The skill gap in this area became even more clear after I left and joined a solid organization. I would not recommend Softchoice as a place to learn leadership. You will see by example philosophies that are contrary to what you learn in college and in the leadership best seller books. Pay for sales is low, however, I think that is part of the model. They do not value the sales team very highly. People in general do not appear to be valued. They appear to expect and want turnover. I hope that this balanced review will help a few people. If you fit the criteria and know what Softchoice is, and is not, then a job at Softchoice could be a great choice. It was for me.