Commercial electricians are highly skilled tradesmen. Their work is incredibly technical and undeniably essential to our communities, so it naturally requires an extensive wealth of knowledge to perform.
There are various branches of electricians, all of whom share common fundamental skills. There are, however, several nuances of skills that differ between electricians. For instance, the capabilities of a residential electrician vs a commercial electrician are largely similar, with a few technical differences.
At Pro Point Electrical, we strive to provide only the best commercial electricians in Melbourne who are equipped with all the hard and soft skills needed to expertly complete their jobs. In our article below, we cover all the skills a commercial electrician needs. If you’re wondering what questions you must ask before hiring an electrician, check out the skills below for some inspiration.
Among the various duties of a commercial electrician, there are a number of standard technical skills that every electrician should possess, including a fundamental understanding of workplace safety. This ensures they can do their job effectively and to a high standard.
Almost all electricians gain these technical skills through apprenticeships and training programs, undergoing a rigorous learning process that commits these abilities to memory. Typically, technical skills that commercial electricians require involve repairing, maintaining, and installing electrical appliances and wiring, often with high voltages.
The following are specific technical skills any electrician needs to know:
Without these skills, commercial electricians cannot hope to perform their duties well. Fortunately, all our electricians at Pro Point Electrical have undertaken extensive training and certification programs, which have given them the right skills they need to be exceptional tradesmen.
An electrician’s work can vary in nature. Sometimes, you’ll be working alone, fixing or installing appliances without the need for an extra pair of hands. Other times, however, you’ll be working as part of a team on a larger project. As such, electricians need to be comfortable working both independently and as part of a group.
Commercial electricians are often required to work on large-scale projects for businesses, which means they will have to coordinate with other electricians on the same job. Teamwork is key to ensuring everything runs smoothly and the final installation is of high quality. Often, a lack of cooperation massively worsens the quality and functionality of the final setup.
Communication is a vital part of working as a team, so every good electrician needs solid interpersonal skills. That said, they must also be comfortable working individually. This means they’ll need good reasoning skills and the confidence to trust in their own decisions, as they’ll frequently find themselves without a fellow colleague to rely on.
Since the work of an electrician can vary day by day, it’s vital that they are able to think on their feet. While a standard procedure for certain tasks exists, no two jobs are ever the same. This means any good commercial electrician will have to do a decent degree of problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.
As an electrician, your main responsibility is to find solutions to the electrical tasks requested of you. You diagnose and fix issues and faults without relying on anybody else for help. Instead, you must apply your technical knowledge and training to determine the best course of action for the task at hand.
Some specific problem-solving skills commercial electricians need include carrying out risk assessments, making important decisions, understanding complicated blueprints, attention to detail, and keeping up to date with new technology.
As invaluable as technical knowledge is, an electrician can’t rely on their wisdom alone. Since their work involves a lot of moving, climbing, and lifting, an electrician must be physically fit to ensure they can carry out their duties as requested.
There are no specific physical requirements to being an electrician, but a certain degree of good health and physicality is recommended. The labour that electricians carry out can be demanding and tiresome at points, so employers want to know you can manage well. Good hearing abilities, colour vision, strength, and stamina are all important physical attributes in an electrician’s line of work.
There are many tasks that require physical skills, including climbing ladders, lifting heavy objects, standing or crouching for extended periods of time, working at great heights, driving, and distinguishing different coloured wires.
This doesn’t mean that electricians should be bendy, although it certainly helps when squeezing into tight spaces for fittings! To be a good electrician, you need a versatile set of skills and flexibility in your working hours, particularly if you’re an on-call electrician.
Commercial electricians will often find themselves working in a variety of different scenarios, for a range of clients, and at varying times of the day. As such, they need to be flexible in when and how they work, as they are often employed to undertake a number of different jobs over the same day. As a commercial electrician, you could be installing a lighting system in a stadium one week, then fixing a backup generator for a hospital the next. This is why flexibility is a core skill every good commercial electrician should possess.
The technical work that electricians undertake requires a sufficient level of mathematical knowledge. This skill mainly surfaces when dealing with figures and data, such as voltages and outputs. A decent grasp of algebra is also recommended for electricians, as these core problem-solving skills are transferable.
It’s not necessary for an electrician to understand mathematics to a high degree, but fundamental sums, multiplications, and divisions are often required by electricians. The skills you learn from basic maths can be applied to many of the tasks an electrician will perform, making this a desired ability to have.
Interpersonal skills are essential to every electrician. Dealing with customers and clients is a large part of an electrician’s work, and they are often the face of the company. As such, they have a reputation to uphold and must represent the business in the most positive way possible, ensuring that customers are left satisfied and likely to return in the future.
Commercial electricians often have to liaise with clients to ensure they fulfil the project brief in the desired manner. Effective customer interaction can speed up processes and build longer-lasting relationships. In this way, active listening skills and emotional intelligence are two valued traits that any good electrician should possess.
Commercial electricians need to be able to communicate effectively with customers and clients to ensure what they’re doing is correct. For this, a good grasp of the English language is required.
In a commercial electrician’s line of work, miscommunication can lead to drastic consequences and severe ramifications. If they do not perform the task adequately or do the wrong thing, important buildings could be without electricity.
For instance, commercial businesses such as retail parks and stadiums might have to close temporarily, leading to a loss in revenue. Similarly, hospitals without a functioning back-up generator could be in serious trouble if the electrician has not understood the need to repair it due to poor English skills. As such, these comprehension skills are essential to a commercial electrician.
There are a number of certifications and qualifications a commercial electrician should possess in order to prove their understanding of safety regulations and requirements. This is vital in ensuring an electrician is capable of performing tasks to a safe and secure standard, and ensures both credibility and accountability of the tradesman.
A good knowledge of industry regulations is also indicative of a well trained electrician. This level of intelligence is normally gained through training programs and apprenticeships, so any qualified electrician should possess a sufficient understanding of regulatory requirements.
Are you looking for a qualified commercial electrician in the Melbourne area? At Pro Point Electrical, our team of experienced electricians are on hand to give you the best service they possibly can, no matter the scale or depth of the task.
Give us a call on 0401 757 325 or email us and you’ll get the help you need quickly and easily.
