Sure, as an electrician it’s important that you know all there is to know about amperes and volts. Your apprenticeship has you well-prepared for tackling the basics of the job. Your critical thinking skills are second to none, and you can quickly diagnose a variety of tricky electrical problems. You’re more than ready to tackle the day to day tasks that go along with the title “electrician.”

However, you’re going to need more than a working knowledge of volts and amperes, and more than your keen electrical diagnostic abilities, to succeed in the workplace. In fact, many of the skills that you will find most valuable in your work as an electrician are not the ones you learned during your apprenticeship. They’re the ones you learned in kindergarten.

  • Listening skills. In order to effectively diagnose electrical problems, you must first listen to the client’s (or contractor’s or construction worker’s) description of those problems. Being a good listener is crucial if you are to succeed as an electrician. Practice active listening. That is, listen to understand, not just to respond. In order to fix someone’s electrical issues, you must first listen to what they tell you about those issues.
  • Patience. The complex issues that you will encounter in your work as an electrician are not necessarily going to be amenable to a quick and easy fix. You are going to be dealing with complicated electrical issues and expensive equipment. In order to adequately address the issues that arise in an effective fashion, you will need to exercise patience. No rushing through jobs or slapping a band-aid on a complex issue. As an electrician, you will need to be thorough and exact, and that requires patience.
  • Plays well with others. As an electrician, you aren’t going to be working on your own. You will encounter clients, contractors, and other construction workers on a daily basis. Your collaboration with each of these individuals is essential to getting the job done right. You should have a good feel for the different personalities on any work site, and you should be able to interact with anyone – from bigwig client to demanding contractor to fellow electrician – with courtesy and professionalism.
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