Manpower

I’ve worked for a lot of temp agencies over the years and in my experience Manpower is easily the worse. At one time they were my favorite but they must have been sold or merged or something. They gave me a job with no interview and no testing out of this office and didn’t even bother asking for references. And then, they messed up my check.

A lot of temp agencies are just online databases these days. They don’t do anything to help you find a job. You just fill out the online application, and they tell you to read their website and apply for a job if you see one you like. I had that experience at a couple of other Portland temp agencies. No personal contact, no job offers. So I was pretty discouraged but I thought I’d give Manpower a try, since they were right downtown, nearby. (PS they moved to 518 SW 6^th.)
What a difference. I sat down, no prior appointment, talked with a friendly staffer, and she offered me a job within 15 minutes. Just $ 10 an hour, but I hadn’t even filled out an application yet — still need to of course — and the job fits my personality and needs perfectly. Best of all, a real, friendly person doing some actual work for you.

Getting a sweet temp job at a friend’s company meant signing up through their temp agency.
I was hesitant since it usually involves peeing in a cup and answering questions about jail time (that would be none, thanks).
Thankfully the gals at Manpower (worst name ever by the by) were super easy to talk to and very casual.
AND:
No peeing in a cup. They use a super awesome mouth swabby thingy for any drug screenings. Over in like 30 seconds. Awesome.