Someone by the name of Gaby texted me out the blue saying that I attended an interview, which I am 200% certain that I didn't. I called for confirmation and she really tried to sell me on the fact that I interviewed with them. So like anyone who does not close doors on opportunities I asked for the job posting, and the rep could not provide one. She couldn't even recall my name. So why would you text me and ask for sensitive documents? I'm sure they are getting people employed, but imagine what the process is like if situations like this happen? If I was vulnerable I would have sent them all my sensitive documents with no job lined up. read more

This is the first time I used the Express Employment branch in Columbia, MD and this will also be the last time. I needed two temporary workers for a job fair event I was having at the BWI Four Points by Sheraton. I emailed the owner, Jim Craig, Wednesday evening to set someone up for the following Monday morning (5-days notice) The following morning at around 11am I contacted the office because I never heard back from anyone. Jim answered the phone and said "he was just about to send me an email" He told me Jessica is the person I want to speak with to set up the temps for Monday morning and that he'd forward my email to her so she'd have my information. The conversation with Jim was strange in that he seemed more concerned with making sure I have a billing account set up with Express rather than wondering what my needs were. Approximately 2pm, about 3 hours later, I called and spoke w/ Jessica. Jim had failed to send her the email so I forwarded her a copy. She said my temps would be no problem and asked if she could contact me the following morning to finalize. I said "yes." Friday afternoon came and I never heard back from Jessica so I called her. She said she "was just about to email me the temps info" and she would do it in 5 minutes. I ended up getting the email at 2:54pm, the end of the day Friday. Jessica had set up my two temp workers for Monday and emailed me their contact info so I could touch base with them. I called the first temp to confirm and was very unimpressed. He seemed completely void of social-functionality and I could barely hold a conversation with him regarding the logistics on Monday. The second person I tried calling didn't answer her phone, the call went to voicemail, which of course the voicemail box was full and I couldn't leave a message. I called her two times Friday afternoon / evening with no luck and also sent her a text. I emailed Jessica in hopes of having her help me get a hold of the temp with the full voicemail box. Jessica offered to try calling her from her phone. I asked Jessica for her personal cell phone # in case I have any emergency's with the temps over the weekend, ie...they cancel on me, etc...She did not reply to my email so I assume she doesn't want me to contact her. My event is on Monday morning and the workers need to be there at 10am. At this point I'm feeling extremely uncomfortable with the people that were chosen for my fair and uncomfortable with the fact that I'm not able to contact one of the workers, nor my Express Employment contact for that matter. My company hosts 16 job fairs per year in the Northeastern United States. I mainly use Express Employment for each of my job job fairs and have always had wonderful results with them, until now. In hindsight, I would have definitely chosen to go with a different staffing agency and saved myself the headache. My recommendation...skip past Express Employment in Columbia, MD and choose to contact a different staffing agency. I ended up calling OfficeTeam on Pratt Street in Baltimore on Saturday afternoon and they were able to help me with no problem! If you have any questions regarding my experience or would like a recommendation on other staffing agencies in the area, feel free to contact me directly. Steve Faulk steve@premiumjobfairs.com read more

We came in after a month of no success in finding positions. We actually got a job assignment for the following day as we filled out the paperwork in the office. The job wasn't well-paying but it was good to get to work again and to know we had some money came in. After that, I consistently got positions that paid above minimum wage as long as I checked in so I very much recommend this company. When it came to the other temporary employment agencies, I rarely heard anything and was never offered a position no matter how many times I called to check in. read more

I was referred to Express Employment Professionals by a friend when I got laid off from my previous work. I went to their website to sign up with the agency and I was called in a few days later for an in-person interview. The interview was scheduled for Wednesday, April 4th at 11.30am. From the moment I walked in and despite the fact that the waiting area was filled with many people with various working needs. I could see the professionalism of the office nd promptness in dealing with each person's needs on display. I was acknowledged immediately and asked to fill out some paperwork, due to the number of forms that were required to be completed, the office receptionist Angela checked on me and constantly apologized for the long wait before being called to speak to a recruiter. I eventually met with Valarie who took the time to ask about my career needs and what I was looking for in my new state. I had worked in the sales industry for over 20 years but I was now ready to move into a different industry, somewhere I could use my exceptional customer skills acquired over the last 20 years to further my career advancement. She asked me some more detailed probing questions and after talking for about 30 min she mentioned that she might have the perfect job for me. I was amazed and excited at the same time because I was expecting her to tell me that she will look to see what might the agency might have to match my work search and get back to me at a later date. Instead she was sharing a job opportunity that was totally different from the industry I had worked in for 20 + years and it was exactly the position and role I was looking for. Valerie got me a phone interview with the company's HR person, the following week I had another over the phone interview with the hiring managers in the local office and the following week I when in and had a in person interview. Every step of the way and with each interaction with the potential employer, the Ladies (Valerie, Ashley & Jessica) at Express Employment professional in Columbia MD were very responsive, always on top of every situation and made sure I was kept in the loop with the next step of actions whether it was by email or over the phone. I am happy to share that I'll be starting my new job in Rockville on May 1st 2017. My experience with Express Employment Professionals has been very professional, seamless, interactive and in the end resulted in me finding the perfect job, all in the span of 3 weeks. I would recommend this job recruiting agency, Express Employment Professionals in Columbia, MD to anyone who is looking to find work quickly and wants to deal with people Who are responsive and very professional. Thank you for all you did for me with my work search. read more

The employees at Express Employment Professionals in Columbia has always been able to assist me in my employment needs. Whether it was seeking a second job or full time employment, Express Employment Professionals have catered to what I was looking for. The staff has always been professional and courteous with me. I would not be in the job I am in today without them, and would recommend them to anyone whether they are looking for work, or seeking assistance in filling any staffing needs one may have. read more

This employment agency provides low, and inconsistent level of service. The only courtesy you will receive is before you arrive at any agreement. If you are in a time of need, the follow through can be erratic. The staff's customer service and communication are full of ups and downs, often loud and rude. The owner of the business does not keep the communication civil. I was not going to post, but after reading Steve F's comment, I feel compelled to share that his experience is very much consistent with mine. read more

I would like to thank the staff at Express Employment Professionals In Columbia for being one of the best employment I've ever had. Express Employment has one of the best staff I have ever worked for they are professional courteous and always have your best interest in mind. If anybody's looking for a job I highly recommend the staff at Express Employment Professionals in Columbia.. read more

This is a response to Steve F. It only took me 4 years to notice this negative review and it is very frustrating to read because Jessica & I remember this job order from Steve F very well. We have gone back to archived emails to provide a factual response. He emailed on a Wednesday looking for the name of someone he could talk to about an upcoming job fair. I personally called him back and spoke with him. He needed (2) people for a 4 hour job fair located in Baltimore about 45-60 minutes away from our office and the associates needed to have handheld radios. I kindly informed him that this was far away from us and also that we do not supply our Associates with (2) way radios and was VERY honest with him that he was probably better off calling a staffing firm closer to downtown Baltimore. I was very sorry but that this was our very busiest time of the year and we honestly were swamped with challenges trying to identify long term associates for our clients we work with daily in the immediate area. He mentioned that he worked with other Express offices in other markets and he liked to use Express where he could but he did understand and hung up. I did not think anything of this cordial conversation until the next afternoon when I spoke with Jessica who told me that he called again and made the very same request for 2 people. Despite being swamped during our busiest time of the year and the fact this job was only for 2 people for 4 hours almost an hour away Jessica felt that we could help Steve so she arranged for (2) phone interviews on the next day (phone interviews are a very unusual request for a 4 hour job but Jessica arranged them anyway). Friday at 11:54 a.m. Jessica confirmed (2) phone interviews with Steve to take place later that afternoon. Steve says in his complaint that Jessica did not get him names and phone numbers "until 3:00" but he must have been talking Pacific time because I have an email that says 11:54 a.m. Jessica followed up with Steve to see how his phone interviews went Friday afternoon but he did not answer and we did not hear back from him by close of business Friday afternoon at 5:00. While we would have liked to have Steve call us back before we closed on Friday, this was not a big deal for us because we knew that if he was unhappy with one of the associates he spoke with we had all Monday morning to get him an additional candidate as a backup because he did not need a person until noon on Monday. Later Friday night after we were closed he sent an email at 5:24 p.m. that he could not get in touch with one of the associates and wanted Jessica's cell phone #. In 2003, Jessica did not get her work email on her cell phone so unfortunately she did not get his emails which judging by Steve's email infuriated him. When Steve had not heard back from us on Saturday afternoon (because we were closed and had not gotten his emails) he wrote a very angry and unprofessional email blasting us and the process by which we were helping him and was now informing us that even the associate he did speak with he "did not feel comfortable with" (whatever that means) and that he was going to be stuck and have no one at noon on Monday despite us already having (2) people lined up for him. Very early Monday morning when we reopened we received these nasty emails from him about how terrible his experience has been (despite the fact that at Friday at 5:00 when we closed he had not a single complaint) and while we did ultimately have (2) people all lined up and confirmed ready to go for his job fair at noon in Baltimore, we had to cancel them because he ended up calling another staffing firm in Baltimore (who apparently has Saturday hours) and they are sending him (2) people. Ironically, this is EXACTLY what I asked him to do on Wednesday of the previous week. It is unfortunate to read about Steve's negative experience with Express 4 years later. Steve apparently failed to leave out the other side of the story when he wrote his slanderous review of a local business owner who has been servicing their local community without incident for more than 20 years. This is the problem with people who tend to yelp negatively, there is not context to their complaints or "other side" presented. similar to some of the other negative reviews from some people who have applied with us and not gotten a job or have even had work provided, failed to show up requested another job which they were not given and then bash us on Yelp. We seem to be in a tough industry when dealing with Yelp reviews because you cannot please all the people all the time especially when thousands of people apply for jobs with us and we only have opportunities for hundreds. read more