How to Hire an Electrician

Why hire an electrician?

The need for new staff can affect both your existing team and your bottom line.

A quality electrician:

• Inspects and tests electrical systems
• Reviews construction blueprints and wiring diagrams for installation
• Ensures all wiring and electric systems are in compliance with national regulatory codes

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance electrician

When drafting a job description or interviewing applicants, be sure you know whether you need a full-time or contract electrician.

Some businesses have full-time electricians who take care of electrical requirements for their facilities. This is effective when there’s a need for regular, ongoing electrical work. An example includes real estate leasing companies, such as apartment complexes, office buildings and shopping centers. Many construction businesses also hire full-time electricians to install electrical wiring and other components in new buildings and renovation projects. Another reason to hire a full-time electrician is to staff a company that offers electrician services to residential and commercial clients.

If you have a short-term project, you likely need a contract electrician. Consider hiring a qualified self-employed journeyman or master electrician or contacting an electrician services company. Those freelance options can help with installations, troubleshooting electrical problems, repairs and upgrades.

What are the certification levels of electricians?

Electricians are highly skilled tradesmen. They go through apprenticeship programs with classwork and rigorous training to progress from apprentice to journeyman. Some ultimately become master electricians. Those who have trained on outside electrical projects are called linesmen, while wiremen refers to indoor electricians. They’re also further classified as industrial, commercial, residential, maintenance and automobile electricians.

These professionals must be certified to perform electrical services. There are three main levels of certification:

• Apprentice electrician: First level of certification. GED or high school diploma is required to enter an apprenticeship program and start training. Commonly takes up to four years to move to the next rank.
• Journeyman electrician: Second level, follows an apprenticeship position. Requires successful completion of a certification test and licensing.
• Master electrician: Highest level requiring thousands of hours of experience. The specific requirements vary from state to state. Master electricians can train journeymen.

Where to find electricians

To find the right electrician for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Referrals: Ask other businesses and neighbors who they use for their electrical work and whether they’re happy with them.
• Contractors and developers: Builders, developers and contractors in your community are good resources as they’re likely to work with many local electricians.
• Home builders associations: Contact the association in your area for a list of qualified electricians. You may also want to reach out to the local building inspector to ask who they would recommend.
• Electrical supply stores: Electricians frequent these stores for job supplies. So, ask sales representatives at your local electrical supply houses for suggestions.
• Post your job online: Try posting your electrician job on Indeed to find and attract quality electrician candidates.

What are the certification levels of electricians?

Electricians are highly skilled tradesmen. They go through apprenticeship programs with classwork and rigorous training to progress from apprentice to journeyman. Some ultimately become master electricians. Those who have trained on outside electrical projects are called linesmen, while wiremen refers to indoor electricians. They’re also further classified as industrial, commercial, residential, maintenance and automobile electricians.

These professionals must be certified to perform electrical services. There are three main levels of certification:

• Apprentice electrician: First level of certification. GED or high school diploma is required to enter an apprenticeship program and start training. Commonly takes up to four years to move to the next rank.
• Journeyman electrician: Second level, follows an apprenticeship position. Requires successful completion of a certification test and licensing.
• Master electrician: Highest level requiring thousands of hours of experience. The specific requirements vary from state to state. Master electricians can train journeymen.

Writing an electrician job description

A thoughtful description is important in finding qualified electrician candidates. An electrician job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your electrician job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on electrician jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Electrician
• Electrician installer
• Electrical
• Journeyman electrician
• Construction
• Industrial electrician
• Electricians
• Electrician helper
• Residential electrician
• Commercial electrician
• Solar

Interviewing electrician candidates

Strong candidates for electrician positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Their knowledge of safety and compliance standards
• An understanding of common electrical installs and updates
• The maintenance and repairs of common electrical tools

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of electrician interview questions for examples (with sample answers).