The complete guide to writing an electrician resume interview with sample electrician resumes for all levels, from apprentice electrician to journeyman and master electrician.
If you are an experienced electrician or want to start an electrician apprenticeship, a professional resume or resume is one of the most important tools when looking for new jobs.
In this guide, we'll give you everything you need to know to create a strong resume that will get you results in the job market.
What's in this guide?
- How to write an electrician resume for all domestic, industrial, and commercial electricians, including cable and outside line installers
- Two high-quality, industry-optimized electrician resume templates
- What skills should be included in electrician resumes and how to present your experience as an electrician
- Advice for all workers in the electrical industry, including self-employed electricians, apprentice electricians and part-time electricians
- A 12-step infographic describing the process of writing an electrician's resume
- The most effective way to list your electrical education and certifications on your resume
Electricians are in high demand, largely due to the recent emergence of green technology.Over 259,000 people work as electricians and fitters in the UK.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (as of 2018), more than 715,400 people work as electricians in the United States. Many thousands of electricians are expected to be needed over this decade in the US and UK as companies continue to expand their infrastructure.
Despite this great demand for electricians, it is important to preparequality resumethat articulates its competences more effectively. In this guide, we'll show you how to do just that.
Electrician resume example
Use this resume template
Electrician resume example
Use this resume template
How to structure your electrician resume
Add a professional profile
One of the most important aspects of resumes and resumes is the professional profile, commonly known by the names resume, resume profile and leadership profile.
Job profiles are a brief introduction at the beginning of your resume. It should convey your skills and experience concisely. As an electrician, this could include experience with electrical installations and repairs, knowledge of regulations, certifications you have obtained, and knowledge of safety processes.
The professional profile is your chance to stand out from the crowd. So try to focus on what makes you unique. For example, if you played a key role in delivering complex electrical projects to tight deadlines, make sure your job profile highlights this.
Here is an example of an electrician's job profile:
Diligent, results-oriented electrician with over 12 years experience in electrical repairs and installations. Recognized for delivering challenging projects according to specific timelines and requirements, despite the demands of deadline-oriented environments.
It has a proven track record of reducing accidents by adhering to safety standards and applying a safety-centric approach to projects. Expert in all aspects of wiring, troubleshooting, testing and inspection, and system installation.
Notice how in this job profile we detail the candidate's key skills – electrical work, security and the ability to meet deadlines.
Should you include a photo on your electrician resume?
Depending on the country you are in, you may need to include a photo at the beginning of your CV. As a general rule, resumes for applications in European countries - with the exception of the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands - must include a photo. Photographs are generally not expected on resumes in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
For more information on whether or not to include a photo on your resume or resume, see ourArticleabout the subject.
Add a section on key qualifications
An important part of electrician resumes is the core qualifications section. Here you can demonstrate a series of skills that will allow you to perform at your best as an electrician.
Rather than focusing on more general soft skills, emphasize the hard skills that are fundamental to day-to-day operations. This can include electrical installation, knowledge of regulations and electrical engineering.
What are the main qualifications for electricians?
Electrical installations, electrical repairs, testing and inspection, health and safety, quality control, system installation, wiring, following plans and diagrams, system optimization, regulatory knowledge, troubleshooting, telecom electrical operations, cable installations, acumen mechanics
Other important skills for modern electricians include the ability to use modern technology.
As Zachary Valdez - Regional Security Manager atSturgeon Electric Companysaid in an interview withECM-Web, Knowledge of iPads, laptops and new generation technologies is just as important as the ability to learn new technologies quickly.
Soft skills for electricians
When it comes to soft skills, it's most effective to highlight them in your career summary when writing about your work experiences. That's because manySoft skills are generic and recruiters see them included in most resumes.
Highlighting soft skills in your career overview allows you to back up the skills with specific examples of times you used them. that almosttrialthat you have these skills.
Here's an example. Instead of claiming that you have good time management skills, you could write in your career summary about the multiple projects you managed to juggle at once through effective time management.
This would convey your time management skills to the reader much more effectively.
Now that we've covered how to showcase your soft skills on your resume, it's time to learn which soft skills are most important for electricians.
Which soft skills are most important for electricians?
1. Mechanical Acumen
One of the most important skills for an electrician is manual dexterity. This means the ability to quickly become familiar with mechanical tasks and easily understand the processes involved.Great electricians are often curious about mechanical processes and enjoy the process of making things work.
This seems like an obvious skill most electricians will possess. However, it is important that craftsmanship is reflected in the resumes of less experienced people, especially those seeking an internship as an electrician.
How do you show your skill on your resume?
One of the best ways to communicate your mechanical acumen is through your professional profile. Here you can write about your interest in electronics and your joy in disassembling and assembling.
2. Troubleshooting
For electricians, troubleshooting is an important aspect of everyday life. Evaluating situations logically, weighing the pros and cons of solutions, and making profitable decisions is an invaluable skill. Whether using troubleshooting equipment or manually assessing electrical systems to determine the root cause of problems, good electricians are able to resolve issues quickly.
How do you showcase problem solving skills on your electrician resume?
To understand how to articulate your problem-solving skills, think about what your problem-solving skills encompass. Troubleshooting skills often involve a combination of electrical knowledge, an inquiry-based approach to problems, strong decision-making skills, and an understanding of the most appropriate solutions.
If you can emphasize these four points while demonstrating your problem-solving skills, you will emerge as a highly effective problem solver.
Here is an example:
“Resolved costly ongoing power outages on site after identifying an old, corroded wire in the main building on the site; implemented new wiring at half the price of a power outage, solving the problem and ensuring the site met safety standards.”
3. Communication
Electricians need to communicate with a variety of people throughout their careers, including customers, colleagues, project managers and other professionals.
Depending on the type of work you do as an electrician, you may have significant customer interactions. Electricians servicing factory machines will rarely come into contact with customers, whereas if you are an electrician servicing homeowners, customer retention will be a part of your daily life.
However, communication is an important skill for electricians innoTo roll. When not communicating with clients, communicate with colleagues or local professionals. As such, electricians must use their communication skills to ensure that operations run smoothly and effectively.
Show off your communication skills on your resume to impress recruiters.
But how do you showcase communication skills on your electrician resume?
To showcase your communication skills, highlight achievements that involved your communication skills or your responsibilities that required you to use your communication skills. Examples might include chairing meetings, conducting safety briefings, and giving presentations to clients.
Another effective way to draw attention to your communication skills is to highlight extracurricular activities you've participated in to utilize your communication skills. For example, if you entered public speaking contests, tap here.
4. Time management
Time management is one of the most important skills for electricians. Completing projects on time is critical, as electrical installations and repairs are often charged on an estimated time basis.
How do you showcase time management skills on your resume?
Call attention to achievements that come from your time management skills. This could include completing projects early or juggling multiple projects at once. Show how you've prioritized your work, set milestones, and deployed the resources you need to achieve your goals.
The key is to demonstrate your ability to plan, prioritize and manage your time to achieve positive results. If you do, your time management skills will shine on your resume.
5. Adaptability
Electricians must be able to adapt to the changing landscape of their industry. As the world continues to change, they must learn to use new technologies and tools.
In the future, electricians can focus much more on renewable energy and smart technologies than they do today. This requires adjustment by many electricians.
Therefore, adaptability is an important skill for electricians. When your resume demonstrates your ability to adapt to ever-changing environments, you'll impress recruiters and speed up your job search.
How do you show adaptability on your resume?
The easiest and most effective way to articulate your adaptability is to describe times when you made changes to create positive results. that's what adaptability is all about.
Here is an example:
"I bought and received new, more efficient technology to replace old test equipment that did not provide accurate and timely results."
Notice how the candidate in this example shows that she identified a problem and then changed (acquired new technology) to solve the problem. It shows that she can adapt.
By featuring these five skills on your electrician resume, you'll increase your chances of impressing recruiters and employers. To see how we showcase these skills in an electrician resume, take a look at the example electrician resume in this guide.
Add your career/work experience summary
Add your work experience in reverse chronological order. Start with your most recent role and work your way up to less recent roles.
Be sure to include your job title, company name, place of work and dates of employment. Use bullets to draw attention to the most important information, and be sure to include your key accomplishments. Remember to use this section to demonstrate your interpersonal skills as explained earlier in this guide.
If you are looking for an apprentice electrician job, please add your education and training before your career summary. This will make your training as an electrician the focus of your resume.
Take a look at the electrician resume templates in this guide to see how we format and present the candidate's work experience.
Get your electrician resume template
Add your education and training
This section is an important aspect of electrician resumes. It is usually longer and more detailed than the educational sections in other professionals' CVs. Electricians undergo many mandatory training courses and it is important that these are highlighted.
Electrician training can be related to electrical techniques, regulations and safety.
add additional information
In the last section of your CV, add any additional information relevant to your application. This can include licenses, clearances, languages, volunteering and IT/technology skills.
As an electrician, this section is often a good place to include your certifications and licenses.
How to Write a Resume for a Self-Employed Electrician
As a self-employed electrician, you've probably completed a large number of different projects for different clients and employers. Putting all of this on your resume can make it span several pages.
Needless to say, it's not always necessary to include every freelance electrician job on your resume. Not only will this make your resume too long, it will also result in a poor reading experience.
Instead, we recommend focusing on several important projects you're working on. This is how you articulate your skills and experience as an electrician without making your resume boring and long.
How to write a resume as a self-employed electrician?
Resumes for self-employed electricians should be formatted the same as resumes for employed electricians as described in this guide. The only exception is the career overview.
In this section, enter your job title as a self-employed electrician and add the dates of your self-employed time. Due to the nature of your work, in most cases you will not provide your company name. However, if you are working on a core project during this period of independence, you might want to call attention to that rather than your company name.
Then add your duties and accomplishments as an electrician, just as you would if you were a contract electrician. Discuss the major projects you've worked on and how you've helped clients achieve their goals.
Here is an example:
Alternatively, you could split your resume into sections that cover some of the major projects you've completed during your time as a freelancer.
If you choose to do this, list your responsibilities and accomplishments under a heading that includes the project name.
Check out our guideresume format, which includes 12 sample resumes.
What do you do next?
Distribute your resume along with a professional, well-written cover letter to potential employers. Use job boards to search for your ideal role.
If you're a self-employed electrician, take photos of your work and make them available to potential customers along with your professional resume. Attend events and network with people who can work for you.
There are several websites that offer valuable resources for electricians, including employment and training advice. These includeSpark, a website that offers learning materials for people in the construction industry. There are also forums that allow electricians to connect with like-minded professionals looking for job opportunities, such as:Forum Mike Holts.
Tips for Writing Resumes for Electricians - An Infographic in 12 Steps
I hope this guide helps you create a powerful resume. Use theelectrician resume templatesand examples we provide in this guide to improve your job search.
Or check out our guideElectrician job interview questions, which contains 20 common interview questions for electricians.
If you feel you could benefit from more support, please feel free to check out ourThe Definitive Guide to Resume Writing. Or get inspired with our guideRetomar layouts, which contains 10 amazing resume layout ideas.