It’s safe to say that electricians will be in high demand for as long as we use electricity. It’s a thriving career that has attracted many skilled professionals looking for a long-term career. The benefits of being an electrician include high pay, stable work, and stimulating job responsibilities.
Are you interested in working as an electrician? If you think a career in this trade might be a good fit, there are certain skills needed for success. Here is a list of the seven most important electrician skills:
1. Problem-solving skills
Figuring out how to solve problems is at the centre of what electricians do. They might encounter a circuit breaker that keeps on tripping and have to find the cause and solution to the problem.
They might also have to figure out why some light bulbs are always burning, why an outlet is sparking, why an appliance causes electric shocks, or why a light switch is not functioning as it should.
If you love facing different challenges and using logic to devise the best solution for each situation, you will surely enjoy working as an electrician. Problem-solving skills are necessary to succeed in this trade.
2. Fine motor skills
Electricians also need fine motor skills. Manual dexterity is essential when manipulating small tools and electrical wires. Electricity is dangerous; you can’t work as an electrician if you are naturally clumsy and careless.
Along with manual dexterity, electricians need to have excellent eye-hand coordination. Without it, they will simply be unable to do their job properly.
If you enjoy doing precision work and have always been good at it, many of the tasks performed by electricians should be easy and stimulating.
3. Physical skills
Electricians are not athletes and are not expected to be in top physical form. However, they need good physical skills as they will have to lift heavy weights, stand for long periods, climb up and down ladders and scaffolding, crouch, bend over, and squeeze into tight spaces to do their job.
If you prefer an active job to an office job, working as an electrician will allow you to move around and stay fit.
However, if you are struggling with different physical issues, you might not be able to perform many of the tasks performed by electricians.
4. Teamwork skills
Another important skill for electricians is working well as part of a team. Electricians rarely work alone, as they usually have a manager to report to, teammates who work with them, and perhaps even apprentices they will eventually need to train.
Even electricians who decide to be their boss might need to collaborate with architects, carpenters, plumbers, and other skilled professionals on some large projects.
Therefore, to be a good electrician, you need to be patient, know how to communicate clearly and effectively, and get along with other people.
5. Customer service skills
Whether they work for an employer or run their own business, electricians will most likely have to interact with customers. They will visit houses, commercial spaces, and buildings erected.
This is why good customer service skills are needed to work as an electrician. You must be friendly, professional, polite, honest, reliable, and trustworthy.
Customers will expect to meet with a professional who can look them in the eyes, shake their hands, tell them how much the work they will do will cost, and clean up after performing it.
When your customers like you and trust you, it becomes easier for you to get more customers.
6. Basic math skills
To work as an electrician, you must also have basic math skills. Think about addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, fractions, decimals, percentages, and some algebra.
Those are basic math skills you learned in elementary and high school. If you hated math back then and forgot most of what you have learned, don’t worry. Before you start your electrical training, you can work on developing those basic math skills again, as they will serve you well during your career as an electrician.
If, on the other hand, you have always loved math, your skills will help you succeed.
7. Technical skills
The other skills presented on this list are skills that you should ideally already possess before you decide to become an electrician. As for the many technical skills needed to work as an electrician, they will be taught to you during your training.
You will learn how to read blueprints, install cables and conduits, repair or replace fixtures and equipment, use power tools, and many more tasks and abilities.
You will also be taught all about electrical safety rules and procedures, so you can work safely in any environment and put your electrician skills to good use.
