What skills should a Electrician put on a resume?

O*NET rates Troubleshooting, Repairing, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Electrician list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Autodesk AutoCAD, AVEVA InTouch HMI, Computer aided design CAD software, and Construction Master Pro. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Electrician work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Industrial Electrician, Inside Wireman, Maintenance Electrician, and Control Electrician. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Electrician need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 62% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Electrician role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Electrician resume example

A resume for a Electrician needs to show the work itself: install, maintain, and repair electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures. Day to day that means work like this: prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes; place conduit, pipes, or tubing, inside designated partitions, walls, or other concealed areas, and pull insulated wires or cables through the conduit to complete circuits between boxes. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Industrial Electrician
Inside Wireman
Maintenance Electrician
Control Electrician
Electrical Journey Person
Electrical Troubleshooter
Housing Maintenance Electrician
Paper Mill Electrician
Wireman
Airport Electrician
Antenna Installer
Antenna Rigger
Commercial Electrician
Conduit Installer
Conduit Mechanic
Construction Electrician
Diesel Electrician
Diesel Maintenance Electrician

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes.
Place conduit, pipes, or tubing, inside designated partitions, walls, or other concealed areas, and pull insulated wires or cables through the conduit to complete circuits between boxes.
Work from ladders, scaffolds, or roofs to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures.
Use a variety of tools or equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment, such as oscilloscopes, ammeters, or test lamps.
Assemble, install, test, or maintain electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools.
Connect wires to circuit breakers, transformers, or other components.
Maintain current electrician's license or identification card to meet governmental regulations.
Plan layout and installation of electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures, based on job specifications and local codes.
Direct or train workers to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures.
Test electrical systems or continuity of circuits in electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures, using testing devices, such as ohmmeters, voltmeters, or oscilloscopes, to ensure compatibility and safety of system.
Diagnose malfunctioning systems, apparatus, or components, using test equipment and hand tools to locate the cause of a breakdown and correct the problem.
Inspect electrical systems, equipment, or components to identify hazards, defects, or the need for adjustment or repair, and to ensure compliance with codes.

21 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Place conduit, pipes, or tubing, inside designated partitions, walls, or other concealed areas, and pull insulated wires or cables through the conduit to complete circuits between boxes, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Work from ladders, scaffolds, or roofs to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Use a variety of tools or equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment, such as oscilloscopes, ammeters, or test lamps, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Adobe Acrobat
Autodesk AutoCAD
AVEVA InTouch HMI
Computer aided design CAD software
Construction Master Pro
Craftsman CD Estimator
Database software
Electrosoft FlashWorks
Elite Software E-Coord
Elite Software Inpoint
Elite Software Outpoint
Elite Software Short
Elite Software VDROP
Insight Direct ServiceCEO

33 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Adjustable wrenches
Air compressors
Allen wrenches
Ammeters
Automatic insulation strippers
Awls
Backhoes
Bandsaws
Bear claw wire threaders
Bucket trucks
Butane soldering irons
Cabinet tip screwdrivers

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

wiring
conduit installation
blueprint reading
NEC code
circuit testing
troubleshooting
electrical safety

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Troubleshooting
02Repairing
03Active Listening
04Critical Thinking
05Speaking
06Active Learning
07Installation
08Judgment and Decision Making
09Quality Control Analysis
10Complex Problem Solving

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Building and Construction
Administration and Management
Mechanical
Mathematics
Design
Customer and Personal Service

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

62%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
31%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
2%Less than a High School Diploma

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Electrician do?: Install, maintain, and repair electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures. Day to day that includes work like prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes and Place conduit, pipes, or tubing, inside designated partitions, walls, or other concealed areas, and pull insulated wires or cables through the conduit to complete circuits between boxes.
What skills should a Electrician put on a resume?: O*NET rates Troubleshooting, Repairing, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Electrician list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Autodesk AutoCAD, AVEVA InTouch HMI, Computer aided design CAD software, and Construction Master Pro. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Electrician work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Industrial Electrician, Inside Wireman, Maintenance Electrician, and Control Electrician. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Electrician need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 62% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Electrician role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.