Madden Industrial Craftsmen Incorporated

Work. Often can’t live with it, always can’t live without it (bills gotta be paid, after all).

But stress at work can be a literal killer. Your body produces a large amount of the hormone called cortisol as part of the fight-or-fight reaction to stress. The body can handle only small and infrequent spurts of cortisol at once; stress-filled jobs mean cortisol is coursing through your body, potentially causing all manner of deadly diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, etc.

Stress on the job truly can be hazardous to your health. But a person has to work, right? So here are some tips to help you relax — and cut back on the cortisol — at work and at home.

Take a minute and think of five things for which you are grateful. Gratitude is a very effective way to appreciate your life and turn a bad emotional state into a more positive one. The things for which you are grateful needn’t be “big” or awe inspiring. Simply taking the time to appreciate the fact that it’s a lovely day outside, the work day is over is in just one hour, how much you love peanut butter, how your cat makes you laugh as she chases a crumpled wad of paper — all can go a long way to cleaning your body of anxiety.

Get rid of the clutter around you. Studies have indeed shown that “stuff” can cause stress. A cluttered desk or home makes for a cluttered and jumbled mind. Just the act of putting papers into neat piles on your workspace can go a long way to a calming mindset. Go a step further and take the time to really organize and tidy up your desk. Get rid of paper, folders, items you don’t need. The same goes for your home. Go through closets, the garage, the basement, the spare room — any room! — and get rid of the stuff. You’ll be amazed and pleased how a clean and organized workspace and home fosters a clean and relaxed mind.

Take 30 deep belly breathes. Sit in a chair with your legs apart and place your hands on your stomach. Using your stomach, breathe in slowly through your nose (you’ll know you’re doing it correctly because you’ll feel your stomach expand). Breathe out slowly through your nose, but use some force so that you’ll feel your stomach pull in slightly toward your back. Do this 30 times and, when done, you’ll be pleased at how calm and centered you feel.

Contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen Incorporated when you’re stressing about finding a great job. We have many terrific assignments at some of the Pacific Northwest’s greatest employers. Contact us today.

Even though the recession is on the wane and the job market is showing signs of recovery, unemployment remains high and is expected to stay high for several months.

Which means that employers will continue to have many hard-working, talented applicants from which to choose.

That’s a good thing, of course, but many desperate job seekers have been applying for just about any position they “feel” they can do, whether or not they truly have the background and skills to do it.

In addition, a resume and interview often can be poor predictors of a candidate’s ultimate ability to perform well in a position and fit in well at your company. As you undoubtedly know, many hires are made by the “heart,” and not the “head,” sometimes resulting in a poor hire.

There are tools that can help you better assess a candidate’s “rightness” for a particular position.

For example, assessment tools exist that can help you match your most talented candidates to the position’s exact requirements. Such a tool allows you to find these top candidates via a job benchmark, thus removing bias and guesswork from your hiring decision.

In addition, many companies offer candidate assessment tools that assess potential employees’ personalities and candidates’ sales and customer service skills. You also can purchase tools that will help you perform pre-employment screenings and background checks, perform 360-degree employee performance evaluations, job simulation tests (in which candidates demonstrate the actual skills needed to perform a position well, and more.

Assessment companies generally will complete an easy-to-understand report and comparison on how a potential employee scores against values, critical thinking skills and top competencies that have been identified as important — or even critical — to success within the position.

When you need terrific technical professionals such as carpenters, electricians, engineers, draftsmen and project managers for your Pacific Northwest company, contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen Incorporated. We have a broad-based employee pool with terrific skill sets for just about any light or heavy industrial need.

Mike – Electrician – Commercial and Industrial – Mike is a strong industrial and commercial electrician.  He holds a Journey license for Oregon and Washington.  He has worked in paper mills, saw mills, and has experience with wind turbines.  He has done new construction jobs as well as tenant improvement.  He has run crews at many of his past jobs.  Mike can start to work for you immediately.

 Chris – Maintenance Supervisor – Chris has a strong background in creating and managing maintenance programs. Chris has managed up to thirty skilled trades’ personnel including mechanics, electricians, tool and die makers, and grinders. In addition he oversaw the maintenance for a 750,000 square foot state-of-the-art distribution center.  Chris has outstanding communication skills, longevity at past positions, and is looking for a challenging job. 

 Randy – Carpenter – Commercial – Journey level drywall hanger and concrete carpenter. He is strong at tilt ups and metals studs, and he has done siding, vinyl, and T-111. Randy has all of the needed tools and know-how to hit the ground running with any related job that you might have.  Give us a call to find out more about Randy.

 Bruce – Facilities Technician – Bruce has worked on boilers, air-handlers, chemical pumps, electrical, and other HVAC equipment.  He has also worked on air compressors, forklifts, log loaders, and production equipment.  He also has supervisory experience at a number of his past positions.  Bruce is looking for a long-term opportunity with a solid company. 

 Laborers – We have a number of hard-working, reliable laborers available to go out on short-term or long-term projects.  All of our laborers have related experience, reliable transportation, and are eager to work.  If you need some laborer help for a day or longer, please call us,

Madden Industrial Craftsmen, Inc. and KUIK Radio have teamed up to raise money for Operation Oregon Freedom. What is Operation Oregon Freedom you ask. Operation Oregon Freedom is a special project to raise money for the Oregon National Guard Emergency Family Relief Fund.  Benefiting the families from the Oregon’s 41^st Infantry Brigade and Oregon’s 142^nd Fighter Wing.

When a member of the National Guard goes from part time to active duty, they leave their full time jobs to fulfill their commitment and serve Oregon and The United States. Military pay is significantly smaller and often puts military families in financially challenging positions. The Oregon National Guard Emergency Family Relief Fund is a special program that provides emergency funding to Oregon National Guard families when they need it most. Between May and August 2009…Madden Industrial Craftsmen, Inc. and KUIK is teaming up with other area businesses to sell as many special silicon Oregon National Guard Support bracelets as possible.

We encourage you to help support the member’s of the National Guard and buy you bracelets today. For more information on Operation Oregon Freedom please check out KUIK Radios website here.

When the economy bounces back, many companies will bring on new, permanent staff. Unfortunately, hiring new staff can be scary because you’re basing a long-term working relationship on an impression made in a few moments time. By hiring through us, you have months to evaluate your new addition as opposed to minutes.  By hiring your long-term employees through us, you’ll enjoy a fantastic safety-net-an “Employee Warranty”.  Whether you let us do the footwork and provide you with the right employee or simply have us manage your own hand-picked employees, you’ll enjoy a priceless “New Employee Warranty” simply by running them through us!

If your workload is getting consistently heavier and you think it’s going to keep increasing, it might be time to permanently increase your staff. Permanently increasing your staff can make your business run more efficiently and can help prevent your current staff from burning out. It also means you only have to train them once, as opposed to retraining temporary employees that you bring on sporadically. Our talented recruiters locate the best trades-people your industry has to offer and hand-pick the best match for your company. Our company also provides you with an “employee warranty.” This warranty removes ALL liability from you for expensive unemployment claims if you complete an employee before hiring them direct, as well as from any potential workmen’s compensation claims that occur while they’re being run through us. When you run a new employee through us, we are liable for potential unemployment claims and workmen’s compensation claims-not you. Even better, you’re exempt from this liability until you transfer them to your payroll!

            In addition to protecting you financially, we also handle the extensive preliminary footwork of hiring a new employee such as advertising, recruiting, screening, interviewing, and setting up taxes and benefits. We can also help ensure your employees remain available during your slower times that you need to temporarily cut them lose. If your production suddenly takes a temporary drop off, we can often place your employee on short-term assignments that will allow them short-term work until you can bring them back full-time. Our employee warranty will protect your pocketbook from wrong hiring decisions, and in today’s litigious society, that piece of mind is priceless! Call us today to find out just how easy it is to experience our “Employee Warranty.”

After a decade and a half of solid success in the Northwest, it’s clear that our longevity is due in part to our ability to not just hear what our clients want, but to truly listen to them. Every client is seeking a superstar employee, whether for short, filler assignments, or as a permanent addition to their team. Yet an ideal employee is different for every company. Our recruiters think outside the box and excel in finding out just what type of employee it will take to help your company thrive. First we determine what type of employee you are looking for. Next, as our relationship with you deepens and we understand additional requirements, we then custom-design our employee search around what works best for you. Finally, we add the finishing touches of personalized operating procedures– designed solely for you and your company.

To find the ideal employee, we first have to understand just what constitutes your idea of a “superstar”. Think the perfect employee comes from a cookie-cutter mold? Think again. We understand that the “perfect employee” is unique to each company because everyone’s business is different. Do you need a short-term “fire-starter” that can hit the ground running and jumpstart your project? Does your business require a personality that has a great work ethic, but is content with little room for advancement, instead seeking a corporate “family” to join? Do you need someone that can function well under rotating shifts? Do you want someone who craves overtime, or someone who likes a 40-hour week? Perhaps your ideal employee is the solid, soft-spoken steady worker that never lets you down and follows directions beautifully, or is it the energetic maverick thinker that offers creative strategies? Our goal is not to just find the perfect employee, but to find the perfect fit for your company.  We appreciate that a good fit between employees and clients requires more than hard work;  it requires insight, along with shared work values and goals.

Once we understand what type of employee is required for your business to thrive, we then customize our search to best fit your individual needs. Some clients are pressed for time and prefer for us to do all the footwork and then deliver the perfect employee to their door-step. Others prefer to be in charge of the final decision by speaking with our hand-picked applicants through phone or live interviews. Whatever method you elect, our recruiters and sales staff will inquire to find out the method works best for you.

Furthermore, we can provide on-the-job safety training, forklift re-certification, welding certification through our fabrication shop, per diem management for out-of-town work, and many other areas. We also offer hand-delivered payroll to our employees at your request and we are always eager to have our recruiters tour your business so they can see first-hand what you do on a daily basis. Our top priority is your satisfaction-and by adapting our protocol to your needs while maintaining our high standards, we continually achieve this satisfaction. Call us today and let us help you find your own unique Superstar-you’ll be glad that you did!