Electrician CV: example for qualified electricians and apprentices

What electrical contractors look for

An electrical contractor wants to know quickly what you can do on your own. Job ads often distinguish between housing, commercial buildings, industry and service work, and between power installations and low voltage systems such as data and security. So say what kind of installations you have worked on, how large the projects were, and whether you worked independently or as part of a team. Many employers also ask for a driving licence, because electricians often drive a service van between jobs.

Use the ad's words where they fit. If it says “fault finding” and “service”, those words should appear in your bullet points. Several contractors use applicant tracking systems, and our guide to an ATS-friendly CV shows how to make sure your CV is read correctly. These words come up again and again in ads:

• Trade certificate as an electrician, ideally with the year.
• Installation, assembly and connection in housing, commercial buildings or industry.
• Fault finding, service and maintenance.
• NEK 400, the Norwegian standard for low voltage installations, and documentation such as declarations of conformity and FDV (operation and maintenance documentation).
• Safety training under FSE and first aid.
• Data and telecom cabling, automation, KNX or access control.
• Electric vehicle chargers, solar panels and smart homes.
• Independent, tidy, safety minded and good with customers.
• Category B driving licence.

Formal requirements that should be clearly visible

According to DSB, the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection, anyone who builds and maintains electrical installations must hold a trade certificate (fagbrev) in an electrical trade relevant to the work. That makes the trade certificate the most important item on your CV. Put it at the top of your education section with the name of the trade and the year, for example “Trade certificate as an electrician (elektrikerfaget), 2022”. According to utdanning.no the training takes two years at school and two and a half years in a company, usually with Vg1 elektro og datateknologi and Vg2 elenergi og ekom before the apprenticeship.

DSB also states that training under the regulations on safety when working on and operating electrical installations, known as FSE, must be repeated at least every twelve months, and that it must include first aid for accidents caused by electric current. Write when you last completed FSE and first aid, for example “FSE and first aid, March 2026”. It shows you are ready to work from day one.

If you will work on a construction site, you need an HSE card (HMS-kort). Arbeidstilsynet, the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority, requires everyone carrying out work on building and construction sites to have one, and it is the employer who must arrange it. You can still mention that you have held an HSE card, so it is clear you know construction sites. If you are aiming to become the person with professional responsibility in a company (faglig ansvarlig), DSB requires a relevant bachelor's or master's degree or two years of vocational college with a relevant trade certificate, at least three years of relevant experience after completing your education, and a separate DSB exam for work on other people's installations.

Example of a summary for an electrician CV

The summary should say which trade certificate you hold, how long you have worked and what you are strongest at. Here is a made up example:

Example: “Electrician with a trade certificate from 2019 and seven years of experience in housing and commercial buildings. Has worked independently on service and renovation, and led the installation in a 4,000 square metre office building with three electricians. Strong knowledge of NEK 400, fault finding and electric vehicle chargers. Holds FSE and first aid from 2026 and a category B driving licence.”

If you are an apprentice, the summary can cover how far you have come, what you have worked on and when you will take your trade test. You will find more on summaries in our guide to writing a CV summary.

Bullet points with results: weak versus strong

Many electricians write their CV as a list of tasks. That says little, because every electrician installs and finds faults. Show scope and results instead: how many jobs, how large the installations were, how many people you were responsible for, and what improved. Start each bullet point with a verb in the past tense.

• Weak: “Installation in homes.” Strong: “Carried out complete electrical installations in 40 flats in a new building, from conduit work to final inspection and declaration of conformity.”
• Weak: “Service and fault finding.” Strong: “Handled four to six service jobs a day on my own, and fixed most faults on the first visit.”
• Weak: “Fitting car chargers.” Strong: “Installed more than 120 electric vehicle chargers in housing cooperatives and detached houses, including load balancing and documentation.”
• Weak: “Project responsibility.” Strong: “Led three electricians and two apprentices on a commercial building, and delivered with no deviations at handover.”
• Weak: “Documentation.” Strong: “Produced operation and maintenance documentation for 15 projects and introduced a template that cut the time spent on final documentation.”
• Weak: “Apprentice.” Strong: “Worked as an apprentice on the renovation of schools and office buildings, pulling cable, mounting distribution boards and labelling.”

Courses, certificates and systems worth including

Gather courses and certificates in a separate section, with names and years. Then the reader can see quickly that everything is in order. Systems and tools can go under skills.

• FSE and first aid, with the date you last completed them.
• Courses in NEK 400 and other standards you have used.
• Supplier courses, for example in car chargers, solar panels, KNX or fire alarms.
• Courses in working at height, lifts or scaffolding, if you have them.
• Software for calculation, drawing and documentation that you have used in practice.
• Measuring instruments and fault finding with installation testers.
• Category B driving licence, and trailer if relevant.

Apprentice, or electrician with long experience

If you are applying for an apprenticeship, your school results, practical experience and attitude are what count. List the vocational subjects you have taken, what you did in your work placement, and what you have done on your own, for example a summer job, part time work in an electrical shop or helping out on jobs. DSB allows unqualified workers to carry out building and maintenance under the direct supervision of a qualified person, and that is how apprentices work. So describe what you have done together with an electrician, not that you have worked alone. See also our guide to a CV for recent graduates.

If you have long experience, your CV should show breadth and responsibility. Group your jobs by type of installation, and highlight projects where you led others, dealt with customers or were responsible for documentation. If you have worked for the same employer for many years, you can split the job into periods with different roles. Older jobs can be cut down to one line. If you have completed vocational college, or are aiming for the role of faglig ansvarlig, make that clear.

Common mistakes in an electrician CV

Read through your CV with the job ad next to it. Requirements you meet should be easy to find. These mistakes come up again and again:

• The trade certificate is far down the page, or has no year.
• No date for your most recent FSE and first aid.
• Only tasks, with no scope or results.
• No distinction between housing, commercial, industry and low voltage work, even though the ad makes that distinction.
• Long lists of every course you have taken, including irrelevant ones.
• The driving licence is missing, even though the job requires you to drive a service van.

The application and next steps

The application for an electrician job can be short. Explain why you want to work for that particular company, what kind of jobs you are best at, and when you can start. If you are applying for an apprenticeship, motivation matters most. See our guide on how to write a cover letter for the structure.

With Selja you can paste in the ad and get a professional, ATS-friendly CV and cover letter tailored to the job in under a minute, based on the CV you already have. Selja never adds certificates, courses or experience you do not have. If you want to know whether the pay you are offered is reasonable, you can check it with the pay check.