One of the worst professional experiences in my life. - Anonymous employee Carnegie Dartlet Employee Review

1.0
14 Mar 2022
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Provides a great example of what to avoid professionally.

Cons

This is a toxic environment. Management and senior leadership contribute heavily to a culture of abandoning work/life balance (despite claims of the opposite) and gossiping about reports, clients, and colleagues behind closed doors. As others have reported in reviews, 10-12 hour workdays and catching up on extensively weekends are the norm. If you have an emergency or family issue, good luck. Systems are not in place to cover any level of absence due to high turnover, terrible morale, and lack of direction and leadership. For all of the sacrifices that employees make, compensation is a complete joke. You'll be offered more just about anywhere. And you can learn the same skills (and more) without the toxicity.

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Carnegie Dartlet Response
4y
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience at Carnegie, and I am sorry to hear that you feel that our managers and senior leadership lack the skills we believe is a crucial element of employee satisfaction. Carnegie has invested in ensuring our managers have the resources needed to support their team. Gossiping about colleagues, and clients is never okay, and if you would like to share additional feedback please contact me at hr@carnegiehighered.com Allison Letizi, VP Human Resources

Explore other reviews about Carnegie Dartlet

5.0
12 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people are truly kind, collaborative, and mission driven. Everyone genuinely cares about supporting higher education and helping clients succeed, and that shows up in how teams work together day to day. There are a lot of smart people here, and the culture is collaborative rather than competitive. It feels like everyone wants each other to win. There are strong opportunities to work cross functionally, learn new skills, and try new ideas. There is also real room to fail, test new approaches, and learn without fear.

Cons

The pace is very fast. The work is good and meaningful, but it can feel intense at times. I also wish compensation were higher, especially given the speed and level of responsibility.

2
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Carnegie Dartlet Response
3w
Thank you for taking the time to share such positive feedback! It is incredibly rewarding to hear that our mission to support higher education resonates so strongly with your day-to-day work. We are very proud of our collaborative team, and knowing that you feel encouraged to cross-train, innovate, and try new approaches without fear of failure is the best compliment we could ask for. We hear your feedback regarding the fast-paced intensity of the work and compensation. We know how hard our teams work, and we are continually looking at ways to ensure our salaries remain competitive and that our workloads remain manageable during busy seasons. If you ever have specific ideas on how we can improve the day-to-day pace for your team, please feel free to share them with us at hr@carnegiehighered.com.
1.0
23 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The client portfolio is genuinely interesting, and the peer-level team is incredibly talented, collaborative, and supportive. There are great people working here at the execution level, and you will build strong professional relationships.

Cons

Retention and management are major issues. Turnover is incredibly high, particularly within the first 90 days for new strategists. The company conducts surveys regarding capacity, but internal data is ignored—workloads routinely exceed promised limits (e.g., managing 12 clients when internal models cap roles at 8). Furthermore, the management style leans heavily toward negative critique rather than constructive coaching, creating a lack of psychological safety. Internal mobility is also poorly handled. Toxic culture.

8
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