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9 Key Requirements Needed To Succeed As An Electrician

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Succeed as an electrician|9 Key Requirements Needed To Succeed As An ElectricianElectricity is the lifeblood of the American economy, given that everyone depends on it in one way or another. As such, it goes without saying that electricians and their trade are vital to Americans. According to IBISWorld, there are over one million electricians in America. Becoming an electrician is worthwhile because it is highly profitable, and there are always jobs to tackle. However, it takes a lot to succeed in this competitive industry, so it is prudent to do your homework if you intend to enter this skilled trade. Here’s what you need to succeed as an electrician in America.

1. Excellent customer service skills

Customer service is a top skill that can position you for immense success as an electrician. This skill will come in handy whether you own your own electrician company or work for someone else, so keep this in mind. It is essential to note that electrical work involves interacting with customers and working on their site like any other skilled trade. Consequently, the staff at the job site or home inhabitants will see and interact with you very often. As such, it is extremely vital to be respectful of your surroundings, interact with anyone you meet professionally, and conduct your job with excellence in mind. You need to be friendly, polite, honest about work and fees, reliable, patient, and neat on every job. Also, look customers in the eye and shake their hands firmly to leave a good impression on anyone you work for and guarantee a great customer experience.

2. The right tools

Electricians rely on various tools to ensure accuracy, comfort, craftsmanship, and safety. A large toolset is essential because every job you get can require different electrical components, so having the right tools for every possible task is non-negotiable. Consequently, invest in common tools like a level voltage tester, reaming bit, tape measure, screwdriver, plier, electric drill, and flashlight. In addition, purchase quality safety glasses, conduit finders, and fish tape. Also, remember that most of your time on the job will be spent on ladders or atop high platforms. Therefore, you will not have the luxury of climbing up and down to grab the tools as and when you need them since this would be not very productive and possibly dangerous. As such, consider investing in a comfortable electrician tool belt you can wear on the job to keep essential tools within reach.

3. Physical fitness

Many expert electricians agree that anyone eyeing success in this job should factor in its physical nature. Admittedly, you don’t need to be in the best shape of your life to become an electrician. Also, you will not be required to do strenuous work for hours on end. Nevertheless, you should at the very least be active and comfortable doing things like standing for long periods, lifting heavy weights, bending over, and crouching. Additionally, you should be able to go up and down scaffolding, stairs, and offers with ease and squeeze into tight corners and spaces. These tasks don’t sound so challenging on their own, but they can add up when done day in, day out. Therefore, it would help to have the basic fitness required to perform your role for long-term success in this field.

4. Manual dexterity and excellent vision

It is no secret that electrical work is all about precision, so you need a lot of dexterity and great vision to succeed. For instance, working with small tools and objects will require an incredibly steady hand and great hand-eye coordination. In addition, your vision must be excellent; you cannot be color-blind, for instance. Indeed, distinguishing red from blue makes all the difference between a task well done and a tragedy due to the color-coded nature of your work.

5. Electrical installation and safety knowledge

According to the National Fire Protection Association, about 80 electricians die annually at work, and roughly 25 of those deaths occur due to electricity exposure. Electricians are undoubtedly highly trained to spot electrical hazards and reduce the likelihood of being killed on the job. However, they are exposed to electrical hazards more often than several other occupations, so your risk of dying at work is ever-present. Therefore, it is essential to sharpen your electrical installation and safety knowledge to reduce the odds of occupational injuries or death. As a trained electrician, you will undoubtedly be taught how to use power tools, read blueprints, plan and complete electrical installations, and repair fixtures, equipment, and wiring. In addition, you will be taught all electrical safety procedures and rules, as well as how to install cables, tubing, and switching devices. It is essential to revise this knowledge occasionally to remember everything you need to remain safe while working.

6. Decent math skills

Many skilled trades that involve installation, repair, and maintenance require some degree of math proficiency to excel, and electrical work is no exception. You would be working with percentages, fractions, and decimals to calculate loads, convert watts to kilowatts, and figure out things like wiring lengths and room dimensions. In addition, it would help to master Ohm’s law and other electrical principles as well as basic trigonometry. Precise measurements and calculations are crucial for a job well done in this field and to remain safe. However, you don’t need advanced calculus or physics knowledge to succeed as an electrician, just a solid understanding of basic math you likely learned in middle school and high school.

7. Teamwork skills

Collaboration is common in electrical work, so you will rarely work alone as an electrician. For starters, you will have to report to a supervisor or project manager if you work for an employer. Also, you may be tasked with training apprentices even if you attain a senior rank. Furthermore, to complete full projects like a house build, you must collaborate with plumbers, carpenters, painters, and other tradespeople. Therefore, teamwork and getting along with others are vital to succeed in your role. Therefore, you will need to be patient, friendly, and a good communicator.

8. Critical thinking and problem solving

It is not always clear what the issue is or which component is malfunctioning. Also, wiring and circuitry installation can stall and require a change of plans. These scenarios demand critical thinking and problem-solving skills for breakthroughs. Therefore, you will need to logically assess issues, remember and follow the step-by-step procedures you learned in training, all while keeping safety in mind. Your troubleshooting skills must be sharp, so you must perfect the art of running the right tests and other diagnostic functions to identify issues and address them correctly.

9. An apprenticeship

An apprenticeship is paid on-the-job training all aspiring electricians must finish before becoming qualified to handle full electrical work independently. Electrician apprenticeships in America typically last between four and five years. While training under a journeyman electrician’s supervision, you will get paid in your apprenticeship. You will earn about half of what a fully trained electrician makes, although you may get raises as you learn and master new skills. As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, apprentice electricians must finish at least 144 hours of technical training and 2,000 paid on-the-job training hours in every year of their apprenticeship. You can apply classroom hours from a technical college to your 144 hours, so keep this in mind. Finally, you may be required to sit and pass a licensing exam after finishing your apprenticeship based on the state in which you plan to operate. Therefore, check individual state requirements on the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) website to know whether you need to take a licensing exam.

5 Focuses For Business Owners Across Different Industries

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Business Owners|5 Focuses For Business Owners Across Different IndustriesNaturally, every single business, even rival companies, are entirely different and vary widely in terms of how they operate, the structure and design of their individual business model and how they conduct business.

However, the world of business does share more than a few similarities across the plethora of different industries so here, for your reading pleasure and of course information, are 5 things to know for business owners across different industries.

1. Always Analyze Your Competitors

There is no feasible way your construction company can climb to the upper echelons of success within the field without keeping a close eye on its rivals and competitors.

It is therefore important to always ensure you are aware of any large developments, changes or new directions that other local construction businesses are making, so as to best assess not only if those changes will work for your own company, but to see if they are more successful as a result.

2. Always Keep Detailed Records

Attention to detail is absolutely essential to the success and longevity of a business working in the construction area.

Every single job you undertake, no matter how big or small, should be recorded and filed and it is generally advisable that records of each and every job should be safely and securely stored for at least five years after the job has been completed.

3. Always Endeavor To Exceed Service Expectations

The construction industry is firmly centered around people; both your clients and your employees.

It is for this reason that it is exceedingly important to always strive to exceed the service expectations of your customers and clients, be those from a small and private firm or a national, larger corporate company. One way to ensure your customers are receiving a top-quality service is to outsource, for example to a reputable and established Aluminium Supplier, such as Righton Blackburns.

4. Always Be Aware Of Both Risks & Rewards (and Be Prepared to Compromise)

When approached by either an individual customer, or else a large corporate client, even though the bottom line and the main focus is to make as much money as possible to increase both cash flow and profits, it is still important to assess the risks and rewards of taking on the specific contract.

Whether you are the owner or manager of a construction business, or else are a loyal member of the workforce, the secret to teamwork is the knowledge that sometimes, it is much more effective to compromise or even sacrifice, in certain situations, too.

5. Always Be As Organized As Possible

Organization, both in one’s professional and personal life, is one of the most important ways of giving oneself the space and opportunity to be objective.

It would therefore be exceedingly pertinent to ensure that both yourself and your department heads and senior managers are all committed to being as organized as possible, at all times even when you are under the proverbial pump.

4 Effective Ways To Make Your Office More Eco-Friendly

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Eco-friendly office|4 Effective Ways To Make Your Office More Eco-FriendlyIn 2022, there is frankly no way you can feasibly run a successful business, regardless of the industry in which your company works in, without paying due attention to the carbon footprint and the environmentally friendly nature of your core business processes.

Not only do you have a moral obligation to do all you can to reduce the amount of product waste and energy your office space uses, but also more and more customers and other businesses are choosing to only work with and alongside companies who are shown to be eco-friendly.

With this in mind, continue reading to learn of 4 effective ways to make your office considerably more environmentally friendly.

1. Recycle

One of the simplest yet most effective ways to become an eco-friendlier workplace is to remove every single individual garbage bin in the office and instead create a central station with recycling-specific trash cans which separate different types of waste products.

This way, you can easily arrange for your recycling to be collected quickly and efficiently, as it is all in one place and already organized ahead of arriving at your local recycling center.

2. Use Sustainable Materials

When your office is being redesigned, or a new structure is being created within the space, it is incredibly important to ensure that only sustainable materials and metals are used.

An eco-friendly Aluminum Composite Panel, for example, has a myriad of different uses and can be custom-made to your exact specifications, such as from Multipanel UK. Aluminum is often referred to as ‘the green metal’, as the material can be recycled again and again without compromising the quality and strength of the product.
Additionally, aluminum is entirely fire-resistant yet is effective in acting as a thermal conductor, making it the perfect metal for use in a variety of different office settings.

3. Go Entirely Paperless

Just as at home, when you receive a seemingly endless volume of advertisements, leaflets and takeaway menus printed on high-quality paper, there is also an excess of paper usage in an office environment, and in both locations, most paper ultimately ends up in the trash.

Instead, make a business decision to move forward with an entirely paperless system, even if this means having your in-house, or else outsourced, IT specialist to design extra information spaces and functions on your office intranet.

4. Switch To Renewable Energy Sources

Not only would the switch to entirely renewable energy sources make a huge difference to your company’s overall carbon footprint, but it will also make for a much more sustainable and environmentally-friendly workplace.

Additionally, it is highly likely that at the moment, devices, electronics, white goods, computers and other technologies are being left on overnight in the office, even if this is absolutely not your intention. The best way to counteract this moving forward is to designate one or two ‘green champion’ employees whose role it is to ensure that everything is turned off at the mains, or at the very least, in standby mode.

4 Hacks For Managing Your Team Virtually

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Managing your team virtually|4 Hacks For Managing Your Team VirtuallyManaging a team was hard enough before 2020.

With modern culture forcing many to work from home, management styles have changed. With meetings and catch-up sessions taking place via computer.

If you are a manager, this was hard to adapt to in the beginning, and as it goes on, it can be tough to think of ways to keep your team motivated.

How can you ensure that your team stays on target and continues to produce? Below are some key strategies to help you and your team to thrive.

1. Allow flexible working

Remote working has allowed many businesses to expand. You may now be responsible for managing workers from around the globe.

This is great for the business. Though it can make working in synch tricky. When you are heading to bed, your staff located in different countries may be waking up.
This is where offering flexible working can help. Look to accommodate different time zones. While also allowing your team to strike a better work/life balance. Try not to take anyone out of their natural work rhythm by forcing them to comply with your time zone, as work output will drop. This is also where a virtual office setup can help. By having tasks displayed on a webpage, they can be accessed with ease from around the globe. So, your international team can work even when you are sleeping.

2. Make the office virtual

This can be tricky in the short term. In the long term, it simplifies the working environment.

Aim to sign up your workers to a group email address. Invest in online meeting software that allows you to also send out invites. You will also need to set up a virtual mailbox. Many location-based offices regularly receive mail. So, you will need to update your business associates about your e-post box.

If you aren’t sure where to start, look at sites like theworkstation.co.uk for advice.

3. Progress reports

Many people don’t want to micromanage their teams, but with the lack of a physical workplace, what other options are there?

To keep an eye on your team, ask for progress reports. Weekly if you have a deadline coming up.

It is worth having daily meetings. For a more in-depth progress report, it is worth doing so every week. Make progress reports a part of the week and have them towards the end. Like on a Friday or Thursday.

This will help you to keep track of where your team is relating to productivity. While also providing a set structure for them to work to.

4. Organize 1-on-1 meetings

A working group is essential to the overall function of the workplace. However, among all the meetings and tasks, individuals can get lost.

Aim to host monthly meetings with each member of your team. This will allow them and you the space to better assess them. Without the stress of doing so in front of the rest of the team.

This will also allow you to look at their capabilities, and, of course, enquire into more personal issues, such as their health. If necessary, you can add or deduct tasks from them to make them more comfortable.

Four Tips For Job Hunters

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Tips for job hunters|Four Tips For Job HuntersThe irony of job hunting advice is that there is so much out there that you don’t have to spend more than a few seconds Googling before you come across some piece of wisdom or another.

At the same time, there is so much information accessible (some of which contradicts other recommendations) that it is easy to become overwhelmed. Which, in fact, is likely to be the exact opposite of what you’re searching for when you go snooping for genuinely beneficial advice in the first place.

Make Yourself The Obvious Fit

When you apply for a job online, your resume will almost certainly be evaluated by an applicant tracking system before moving on to human eyes (if you make the initial cut). The first human eyes to scan your resume are generally those of a lower-level HR representative or recruiter, who may or may not grasp all of the complexities of the job for which you’re seeking. Looking at things like Resume 101 reviews can really help you to get your resume in the right order.

You also need to make sure you are showcasing your strengths, perhaps by including some of your portfolio or latest publications.

During Your Job Search, Don’t Limit Yourself To Online Applications

Do you want your job search to last forever? So, you should continue to rely only on online applications. Do you want to speed up this bad boy? Don’t give up after you’ve applied online for that job. Begin by locating and then endearing yourself to people who work at the company of interest. Set up informational interviews with potential peers. Ask a couple of questions to an internal recruiter. Get on the radar of the people who can help you get an interview.

You Need To Be Interesting

Don’t get me wrong: you must always present yourself as polished, eloquent, and professional during your job search. Many individuals, however, interpret this as Must. Be. Boring.

Wrong, wrong, and again. Understand that few people are recruited because they had perfect white space on their cover letters, knew all of the “right” interview questions, or employed extremely safe, common cliches throughout their resumes. All of this precision will make you appear manufactured and unnatural. Instead, allow yourself to be both polished and appealing. Candidates who are memorable and likeable are usually invariably the ones who advance.

Remember To Be Polite

If it comes between you and another person for a position and you are both head-to-head with skills, fit, and qualifications you need to remember to be polite. You can almost guarantee that you will get the job offer if you send a personal thank you to your interviewers and the other person sends nothing.

Finally, keep in mind that the interviewer is much more interested in what you can accomplish for them than in what you want out of the agreement. Certainly, once you’ve shown your worth, they’ll be quite interested in what you desire. However, during the interview, you must show why it is a good business decision to recruit you.

These tips should help with your job search and securing a few job offers. Do you have any more tips that should be included? Please add them to the comments below.