28 Top Electrician Interview Questions to Hire the Best Talent

Electrician Soft Skills Interview Questions

1. Why do you want to work in the electrical industry?

2. What do you know about our electrical company?

3. Why are you looking for a new job?

4. What previous experience and/or training makes you qualified for this particular electrician job?

5. Why did you leave your previous job, and why do you want to work with us?

6. Do you have a valid driver's license and clean driving record?

7. Can you email us a list of references?

8. Why are you interested in this specific position?

9. Why did you decide to become an electrician? 

Common electrician interview questions typically cover the soft skills needed for any trade, such as punctuality, communication, work ethic, and career goals. 

In an electrician job interview, it’s crucial to assess an applicant's attitude or personality to determine whether they're a good fit for your company. Remember, your new hire will represent your business in the field, so it’s important to ask the right questions and ensure the candidate fits your business and company culture.

Ask these general electrician interview questions to assess a candidate's soft skills (and goal mindset):

1. Why do you want to work in the electrical industry?

Interviewers typically ask open-ended questions to gauge how a job candidate reacts and communicates when put on the spot. Look for a candidate who maintains good eye contact and displays confident body language. These skills offer a strong indication of their communication skills, and provide a glimpse of how the tech will engage with customers.

2. What do you know about our electrical company?

How did they hear about the position? Did they do their homework and research your company before applying? Hiring managers tend to consider applicants more seriously when they clearly demonstrate they've made an effort to learn more by scouring your company website, visiting social media sites, and talking to your current or past employees. It’s also a good indicator of the candidate’s interest in working for your business.

3. Why are you looking for a new job?

Make sure to ask about a new hire's motivations to determine whether their long-term career goals mesh with your company's core values. Maybe they’re early in their career and want experience with a reputable company or are advanced and looking for a company that engages with the local community. 

4. What previous experience and/or training makes you qualified for this particular electrician job?

This question often elicits a multilayered answer with details about on-the-job experience, classroom training, electrician apprentice training, licensure, national certifications, etc. While applicants usually include this information on their resume and cover letter, you can uncover additional skill sets, such as specialty certifications or a knack for customer service. 

You can also ask what industry blogs and podcasts they follow. 

5. Why did you leave your previous job, and why do you want to work with us?

Job applicants who were recently terminated or frequently hop from job to job should raise a red flag. Give the electrician job candidate the opportunity to articulate their reasons for leaving to determine whether the same issues could be problematic at your company.

Understand their motivations for wanting to work for your business, and then use their answers in the future to recruit top talent and build a strong pipeline of electrician candidates. You may even discover additional benefits or perks you can implement to retain existing employees and stand out from your competition.

6. Do you have a valid driver's license and clean driving record?

Your technicians who work on electrical equipment must drive to job sites in your company trucks, so a valid driver’s license is paramount. Most electrician apprentice programs and licensing agencies require electrician technicians to hold a valid driver's license and clean driving record.

7. Can you email us a list of references?

You can assess an applicant's written communication skills, as well as the ability to follow directions, by asking them to email a list of at least three references. You can also gauge their interest in the position by how quickly they email their references. Ask them to explain their relationship to the reference, how long they’ve known them, and provide current contact information for each.

8. Why are you interested in this specific position?

More than just whether a candidate wants to work in the electrical industry or at your company, you want to assess whether the applicant is right for the specific position they applied for, whether that be an electrician apprentice or maintenance electrician. The answer to this question can help uncover the candidate’s motivation and fit for the job.

9. Why did you decide to become an electrician? 

Use this question to find out what motivates a candidate. 

“In asking this question, I'm trying to understand what's the spark to their flame, what that motivational facet is, and ultimately to get a better understanding of their why,” says Joshua Chakra, co-founder of YellowStone Local, a recruitment and branding company. “Why are you looking to take your career to the next level? Why would you leave your job and go to the competitor down the street? I’m just making more of that human connection.”

Behavioral/Situational Electrician Interview Questions

1. Describe a specific electrical job where you sacrificed safety for speed.

2. In previous electrical jobs, did you ever turn an unhappy customer into a satisfied customer?

3. A customer expresses anger or frustration over a bill. How do you respond?

4. What safety violations do you see most often, and how would you prevent them?

5. Here's a specific electrician job scenario. Explain your process for handling the call.

6. What would you do if you were given incomplete instructions for a job?

Behavioral or situational job interview questions give applicants the opportunity for show-and-tell, with more emphasis on the "show" part of the equation. Interviewers need to assess an applicant's ability for problem-solving, following safety precautions, and their overall comfort with using technology on the job.

Today's electricians utilize technology on the job to streamline operational efficiency by deploying smartphones, mobile tablets, and electrician field service management software (more on this later in this post). 

1. Describe a specific electrical job where you sacrificed safety for speed.

While posing this question might seem like a trick question—since electrical safety should never be compromised for speed—the types of responses you glean can be very telling. Not only can this question weed out electrician candidates who don’t hold safety in high regard, it provides a measure of their honesty and integrity.

2.  Give an example where you turned an unhappy customer into a satisfied customer.

Electricians who emphasize customer service and support play an important role in creating customer satisfaction. Happy clients turn into repeat clients, often via follow-up calls or word-of-mouth referrals. Techs who listen to customers and show empathy, clearly explain the process, and educate them on all available solutions provide better customer service than those who don’t.

3. A customer expresses anger or frustration over a bill. How do you respond?

How an applicant responds to this question reveals a lot about their personality, attitude, customer service style, and ability to work under pressure. The ideal candidate should take the time to clearly communicate all of the steps and associated costs involved with the service, but not throw your company under the bus. A negative customer experience will cost you money in lost business and unsatisfied customers.

4. What safety violations do you see most often, and how would you prevent them?

Safety plays a critical role in all electrical work, whether it means following proper safety protocols in a customer's home or business, or preventing injury while on the job. Assess an applicant's level of electrical safety training, then ask how the candidate would address common electrical safety violations when in the work environment.

5. Here's a specific electrical job scenario. Explain your process for handling the call.

Electricians work with their hands and gain specialized training. Give them a specific electrical job task and ask them to explain their step-by-step process for diagnosing and fixing the problem. What questions do they ask the customer? What resources do they need? What safety measures do they take? Does the customer require a follow-up visit? 

Remember, this is your opportunity to gauge how they would perform on the job, from start to finish, to get a clear understanding of their strengths and potential weaknesses.

6. What would you do if you were given incomplete instructions for a job?

This question assesses a candidate’s communication, teamwork, and critical thinking skills. Look for someone who is capable of identifying missing information in instructions and asking clarifying questions to gather that information. You also want someone who can improvise and think on their feet, since electrical projects are sometimes unpredictable.

Technical Skills Interview Questions

1. What are the differences between a fuse and circuit breaker?

2. Do you have any experience troubleshooting a programmable logic controller (PLC)?

3. Do you have experience working with or servicing a transformer?

4. What is your familiarity with personal protective equipment (PPE)? 

5. How would you prevent over-lamping?

6. What’s the difference between low-voltage and high-voltage wiring?

7. Can you describe the troubleshooting process of an electrical system?

A hiring manager can assess an applicant's technical ability and know-how from educational degrees, certifications, past experience, and other electrician training listed on their resumes.

To get a good idea of an applicant's technical skill set and adherence to the National Electrical Code (NEC), consider asking the following technical questions:

1. What are the differences between a fuse and circuit breaker?

An electrician candidate must understand the unique roles fuses and circuit breakers play in protecting electrical systems and preventing fires and electric shocks. While both interrupt the flow of electricity, fuses melt when they detect too much heat, while circuit breakers trip when they detect unsafe surges of electricity.

2. Do you have any experience troubleshooting a programmable logic controller (PLC)?

PLCs translate user commands for electronically controlled machines. Common reasons why PLC control systems fail include module failure, loss of power, moisture, overheating, and bad network connections. A knowledge of PLCs is important for electricians working in commercial and industrial settings.

3. Do you have experience working with or servicing a transformer?

If your business serves factories or industrial settings, electrician candidates must have experience inspecting, troubleshooting, and repairing transformers. A transformer uses mutual induction to transfer electrical current from one circuit to another while maintaining a constant frequency.

4. What is your familiarity with personal protective equipment (PPE)? 

Electricians utilize a variety of PPE while working on electrical systems. From non-conductive protective helmets to flame-resistant clothing and insulating gloves, electrical contractors must ensure their technicians understand safety procedures and have convenient access to necessary PPE.

5. How would you prevent over-lamping?

Over-lamping occurs when you place a high-wattage light bulb in a lower-wattage fixture. It causes arcing and often starts fires. Electrician interview candidates must understand how to spot over-lamping while inspecting an electrical system or fixture, and offer solutions.

6. What’s the difference between low-voltage and high-voltage wiring?

Ensure the interviewee is able to explain the technical differences between low-voltage and high-voltage wiring, and apply the differences to real-world situations. For example, a technical explanation notes low voltage is typically defined as 50 volts or less, while high voltage is typically defined as 1,000 volts or more. But an application would note low voltage is used for doorbells, while high voltage is used for power lines. 

7. Can you describe the troubleshooting process of an electrical system?

Electrical problem-solving is an essential competency for electricians, as they are typically called upon to pinpoint and address electrical issues in residential and commercial settings. By asking this question, the interviewer can assess the candidate's ability to think critically and solve problems.

Technology & Tools Questions

1. How do you view mobile technology and its role in the future of this industry?

2. What is your experience with using mobile technology on the job?

3. After diagnosing the problem, what tools have you used to explain options to a customer?

While interviewing electrician candidates, make sure to ask about previous on-the-job experience with CRM technology and other electrician tools. Today’s electricians utilize field service technology to increase efficiencies, enhance communication, and grow ticket sizes. 

Use the opportunity to learn about the candidate’s experience, ask about specific tools and software, and understand their views on how technology enhances the workplace.

1. How do you view mobile technology and its role in the future of the electrical industry?

Electrical contractors increasingly rely on technology to streamline business operations and boost technician efficiency. How an applicant responds to this question tells you a lot about their knowledge of current technology and electrical industry trends. If your business uses electrician software, asking about technological skills can help you determine whether the candidate is a good fit.

2. What is your experience with using mobile technology on the job?

This question helps you understand a candidate’s previous experience, as well as their level of comfort using technology on the job. It’s also a good indicator of the amount of training the candidate requires. Electricians often provide estimates, communicate with dispatch, and collect payments from their mobile devices through a field service app. 

3. After diagnosing the problem, what tools have you used to explain options to a customer?

While in the field, electrician technicians need to clearly articulate the problem and all available solutions. Modern electrician software helps techs present varying levels of service, such as good, better, and best, so customers can understand their options and make an informed decision. 

A lack of hands-on experience shouldn’t automatically disqualify a candidate; it just means you’ll need to provide additional training. You’ll likely realize new recruits have experience using technology and want to work for a forward-thinking company.

Payroll Interview Questions

1. What are your wage expectations?

2. Have you ever worked for a company that uses performance-based pay?

3. What are your expectations for bonuses or SPIFs?

Most applicants don't feel comfortable asking about pay upfront, but salary expectations matter a great deal when considering one job applicant over another. As a business owner, you need to be prepared to pay competitive salaries and offer enticing benefits to attract top job candidates and reduce costly turnover rates.

For example, if your company offers performance pay versus hourly rates, candidates need to understand how your commission and bonus structure affects the position. If you expect electricians to sell more services on every call, be sure to make that clear.

The simple payroll questions above will help you compete in a highly competitive job market, where it's important to separate the casual job seekers from the serious electrician candidates. Asking the right questions from the get-go can help you identify new recruits worth investing your time and money in, who will stick around and grow, as you scale your electrical business. If you’re new to hiring electricians, consider hosting a mock interview with members of your team.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Check out these FAQs to further enhance your hiring process:

What are the basic interview questions for electricians?

While the questions above provide an excellent starting point, tailor your questions to the electrician position you’re interviewing for. For example, consider how senior the position is (apprentice, journeyman, master electrician), what services your company offers, and whether you serve residential or commercial customers. Basic questions should help the interviewer understand the candidate's background, previous work experience, traits, technical skills, and situational awareness.

What qualities should an electrician have?

Along with being mechanically inclined, a great electrician should be flexible and possess strong communication and problem-solving skills.

What questions should I ask in an electrical apprenticeship interview?

For an electrical apprentice, you don’t need to spend a lot of time assessing their experience and technical skills. Instead, look for someone who is eager to learn and grow. Check out this full list of electrician apprentice questions.

Need more help? Download our free template and tips on how to write an electrician job description to attract the best electricians.

How ServiceTitan Can Help You Attract Better Electricians

From the technician’s perspective, ServiceTitan saves time by minimizing busywork and paperwork, allowing them to focus more on jobs rather than leafing through pricebooks, updating customers on arrival times, or creating estimates manually.

By using software like ServiceTitan, you can show electrician candidates how it can improve their work-life balance by streamlining tasks, enhancing communication, and reducing administrative workload, so they can concentrate more on their craft.

ServiceTitan is intuitive, easy-to-use, and helps electricians access tools for:

• Scheduling 

• Dispatching

• Optimizing upselling opportunities

• Compiling estimates

• Generating invoices

• Mobile payments

These features (and more) can be accessed via our mobile app when electricians are out on job sites. All tasks are synced centrally, in real-time, with office staff (via our desktop app) so everybody has all the information they need. 

Here’s how it works.

Features That Help Electricians Work Quickly & Efficiently

Smart Scheduling & Dispatching

Managing bookings without software is challenging for a growing electrical business wanting to organize technicians’ workloads efficiently and give the best customer experience. ServiceTitan’s cloud-based call booking and scheduling features let CSRs handle calls quickly and professionally. Caller details are automatically flagged, as are custom prompts, to ensure all the right questions are asked to make the booking.

ServiceTitan’s scheduling tool lets you organize and view all your jobs as well as technicians’ workloads. Electricians can view their upcoming work and all the details via the dispatch board. Notes can also be included, such as the technical spec and materials needed, or if there’s something specific they need to know about a customer. 

Once bookings are made, appointment confirmations and reminders are automatically sent via SMS. 

You can even use ServiceTitan’s map feature to view the locations of all your electricians and use the route information to avoid traffic delays and assign the right electrician to each job.

Optimizing your electricians’ schedules and workloads in this way means you can speed up your response times and maximize your technicians’ work capacity.

Optimized Upselling Opportunities & Job Automation

Technicians who are confident in signing up customers to recurring jobs such as service contracts will bring guaranteed, recurring revenue to your electrical business and generate more income for themselves. ServiceTitan gives them the tools to do just that. 

Technicians can create membership agreements from scratch, apply discounts, and schedule regular appointments. Set-up is easy, and you can integrate your agreements with other ServiceTitan tools such as scheduling, executing jobs, and estimates. 

In addition to service agreements, electricians can access other useful resources to help them work efficiently when on the job site, including:

• Job Histories: Electricians can view the complete job history, including existing equipment, servicing history, estimates, and notes.

• Warranty Details: Warranty and replacement-part information can be stored within ServiceTitan. Techs can access this and initiate an order directly from their mobile.

You can also trigger certain forms to appear automatically as the job progresses, such as an invoice or request for a review. For example, you can create an electrical project management checklist for techs to refer to when working through a job. This ensures that they know exactly what to do at each stage of the job, and that every stage is logged.

Compile Competitive Estimates

Pulling together information from disorganized pricebooks to create an estimate takes time, especially when you’re out in the field. With ServiceTitan, electricians can deftly create estimates for new equipment or for resolving issues on the spot with Pricebook Pro, an integrated, flat-rate pricing solution that helps technicians make the right choices for each estimate and includes upgrade information and recommendations to maximize ticket sizes. Techs can easily access photos, manufacturer videos and product info and build an estimate that can be viewed and signed off by the customer on site. 

Technicians also have access to all the customer status information that may need progressing, for example, whether to follow up on an open estimate or quote for an equipment upgrade. This allows them to leverage the visit and maximize profits.

Generate Accurate Invoices

When invoices are created in the office, the process relies on the electrician gathering details of the estimate, hours worked, materials used, etc. With ServiceTitan, you can provide your techs with our free Invoice Generator Tool so that they can generate the invoices while they’re on site. 

Simply input all the information into a customized invoice template, save it, and email or text the invoice to customers there and then. 

Swift Mobile Payments

Most customers find it convenient to pay on the spot, and it speeds up payment time for your business too. 

With ServiceTitan, it’s super-easy for electricians to take payments directly from customers via their mobile tablet camera. Payments will be received more quickly this way. Credit cards and checks are deposited the next day, and online payments are received 2-3 times faster than traditional invoicing. 

We’ll discuss more features that will help you pay your electricians efficiently and on time next.

Tools to Run Your Electrical Business Efficiently

Having a disorganized payroll system where you do some or all of the work manually can lead to unhappy technicians if mistakes are made.

Integrated Payroll & Timesheets

ServiceTitan’s integrated payroll tools have been designed to help you track staff (via timesheets), pay them correctly and on time, and monitor the efficiency and profitability of your business.

With our timesheets, time spent driving, collecting materials and actually on the job are all recorded, in real time. Overtime and bonuses can be configured in a few clicks. All staff have access to their timesheets and can sign them so there’s no driving into the office for payroll. 

Insightful Performance Reporting

Analyzing the performance of your electricians is critical for gaining insight into where improvements can be made. Doing this manually with spreadsheets is tedious and difficult.

ServiceTitan’s reporting software provides electrical business owners with deep insights into every electrician’s performance as well as many other key business metrics. 

With our technician scorecard, you are always up-to-date on every tech’s stats, such as generated revenue, service contracts sold and response times. This means you can identify specific areas and provide coaching and motivation to your team.

Learn How ServiceTitan Helps You Hire the Best Electricians

In today’s competitive job market, asking the right electrician interview questions is key to finding electricians who will grow with your company. 

ServiceTitan’s electrical software streamlines operations, saves time, reduces paperwork, and maximizes earning opportunities for electricians on every service visit. Mentioning ServiceTitan during interviews sets your business apart from competitors.