Electricians

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Install, maintain, and repair electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures. Ensure that work is in accordance with relevant codes. May install or service street lights, intercom systems, or electrical control systems.

tasks jobzones knowledge skills abilities work_activities work_context interests work_styles work_values

Tasks

  • Perform physically demanding tasks, such as digging trenches to lay conduit and moving and lifting heavy objects.

  • Provide assistance during emergencies by operating floodlights and generators, placing flares, and driving needed vehicles.

  • Fasten small metal or plastic boxes to walls to house electrical switches or outlets.

  • Provide preliminary sketches and cost estimates for materials and services.

  • Construct and fabricate parts, using hand tools and specifications.

  • 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, and roofs to install, maintain or repair electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures.

  • Repair or replace wiring, equipment, and fixtures, using hand tools and power tools.

  • Perform business management duties such as maintaining records and files, preparing reports and ordering supplies and equipment.

  • Install ground leads and connect power cables to equipment, such as motors.

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Job Zone

  • Name: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

  • Experience: 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.

  • Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.

  • Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers.

  • Examples: These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include funeral directors, electricians, forest and conservation technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents.

  • Svp range: (6.0 to < 7.0)

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Knowledge

Browse Knowledge
  • Building and Construction
    Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

  • Mechanical
    Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • Mathematics
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

  • Customer and Personal Service
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

  • Production and Processing
    Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

  • Administration and Management
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

  • English Language
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • Design
    Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • Education and Training
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • Public Safety and Security
    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

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Skills

Browse Skills
  • Installation
    Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.

  • Reading Comprehension
    Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

  • Troubleshooting
    Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

  • Active Learning
    Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

  • Equipment Selection
    Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.

  • Active Listening
    Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

  • Equipment Maintenance
    Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

  • Coordination
    Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

  • Mathematics
    Using mathematics to solve problems.

  • Repairing
    Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

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Abilities

Browse Abilities
  • Extent Flexibility
    The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.

  • Problem Sensitivity
    The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

  • Oral Expression
    The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

  • Information Ordering
    The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • Near Vision
    The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

  • Inductive Reasoning
    The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

  • Visualization
    The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.

  • Finger Dexterity
    The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

  • Static Strength
    The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.

  • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

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Work Activities

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Work Context

  • Freedom to Make Decisions
    How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

  • Spend Time Standing
    How much does this job require standing?

  • Structured versus Unstructured Work
    To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?

  • Contact With Others
    How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

  • Telephone
    How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
    How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

  • Face-to-Face Discussions
    How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?

  • Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled
    How often does this job require working indoors in non-controlled environmental conditions (e.g., warehouse without heat)?

  • Frequency of Decision Making
    How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?

  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
    How do the decisions an employee makes impact the results of co-workers, clients or the company?

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Interests

Browse Interests
  • Realistic
    Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

  • Investigative
    Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

  • Conventional
    Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

  • Enterprising
    Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • Artistic
    Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

  • Social
    Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

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Work Styles

  • Attention to Detail
    Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

  • Dependability
    Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

  • Initiative
    Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

  • Integrity
    Job requires being honest and ethical.

  • Cooperation
    Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

  • Independence
    Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

  • Adaptability/Flexibility
    Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

  • Leadership
    Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

  • Innovation
    Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

  • Persistence
    Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

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Work Values

Browse Work Values
  • Moral Values
    Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • Ability Utilization
    Workers on this job make use of their individual abilities.

  • Achievement-Mean Extent
    Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

  • Activity
    Workers on this job are busy all the time.

  • Compensation
    Workers on this job are paid well in comparison with other workers.

  • Responsibility
    Workers on this job make decisions on their own.

  • Relationships-Mean Extent
    Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

  • Achievement
    Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment.

  • Security
    Workers on this job have steady employment.

  • Authority
    Workers on this job give directions and instructions to others.

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