How to Progress Your Career as an Electrician

As a qualified electrician, you might be considering options to progress your career, but wondering what the best way is to achieve your career goals. There are several ways to ensure you have the skills and knowledge needed to progress in your career. Below we cover some ways which may help you to take your career to the next level.

Find a Mentor
A mentor could be someone more senior or with more experience to give you advice, guidance or even just someone to listen when you are facing a problem or dilemma. Not only can mentors be a good source of information, but they may also be able to offer advice, help you build industry connections and provide you with feedback regarding your career direction.

Professional Development Plan
Work with your direct manager or supervisor to map out a professional development plan, having their input will provide more meaningful direction to your goals. Alternatively, if you are looking to move to another role or company, take some time to reflect on your goals and values and map out where you see yourself in the next three to five years. This will help you develop some objectives and outcomes required to reach your career goals. For example, you might have identified that you need to do some additional training in order to specialise in a certain industry, so you can now work with your manager to set this up.

Observe Your Peers
If you are looking to step into a different role, whether this is a leading hand or a project manager role, take some time to observe your peers. You can learn a lot by shadowing your existing manager or those in other roles to see what their day-to-day involves and the skills required to work in these roles. For example, if you are strong on the tools but have noticed that project managers spend 60% of their time in the office, you might need to further develop your computer skills. Your peers can give you guidance and advice to help you shape your next career step.

Work On Your Soft Skills
Soft skills are essential in the workplace and will help you progress your career further. This could include verbal communication, writing skills, listening and negotiation. By ensuring you are clear, concise and a have the trust and respect of your colleagues, you will open more opportunities for yourself. Candidates with strong soft skills are in high demand for many different types of jobs and have an increased skillset for leadership positions. If you are struggling to build your soft skills, consider asking your manager or supervisor for training or support. A leadership or supervisor training course might benefit you.

Learn The Business
If you are working for a large and diverse company, learning about the business, including the divisions, regions, and industries serviced, might help you find a career path you had not yet considered. By talking to other teams, you can gain a wider outlook on the business and form a better idea of where you see yourself fitting within this. For example, you might talk to someone in the marine electrical field and decide that this is an area that suits your skillset.

Wanting to know what career pathways and opportunities are available to Electricians? Check out our electrician career pathways infographic 👇