Electrical Project Engineer Skills (With Examples and Tips)

Updated 30 September 2022

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Electrical project engineers liaison with vendors, clients and sub-contractors to design, develop and control the electrical systems in a project. This requires them to review various engineering design plans, perform complex calculations, draft designs, diagnose problems and troubleshoot them and perform quality assurance on electrical components. If you are planning to pursue a career in this field, you can benefit from knowing the technical and soft skills required for this job role. In this article, we discuss various electrical project engineer skills, find out how to improve them and review some tips for highlighting these skills on a resume.

Examples of Electrical Project Engineer Skills

Electrical project engineer skills include both technical skills and soft skills. For instance, electrical project engineers often use their computer skills and knowledge of AutoCAD, electrical design, vendor management and quality control. These engineers also use soft skills such as communication, problem-solving and management skills.

An electrical project engineer may specialise in a variety of these areas as part of a four-year degree programme in electrical engineering or a similar field. Additional certification courses also allow professionals to learn and develop the skills they need for this career. Here are some examples of hard and soft skills that you can gain:

Technical skills

Consider acquiring the following technical skills:

AutoCAD

AutoCAD Electrical is an industry-specific toolset for electrical designs that helps you create, modify and document electrical control systems. You can also use this software to evaluate design specifications, draft electrical schematics and purchase and track components. Employers prefer candidates with in-depth knowledge and practical experience with the software.

Electrical design

Hiring managers often look for candidates who are proficient in electrical design. The electrical design process involves creating schematics and diagrams for various electrical systems. Some other skills pertaining to electrical design include:

creating system models and simulations
developing system models and simulations
testing new electrical systems and making changes to the design if necessary
preparing design documentation and reports
assisting with the development of new electrical systems

Plant design

Plant design entails the creation of plans for industrial facilities. Electrical planning is a vital component of building a manufacturing plant. As an electrical project engineer, experience in plant design can be useful, since it enables you to create detailed electrical plans for large projects.

Mathematics

Proficiency in mathematics is essential for electrical engineers to ensure their designs and analyses are accurate. This requires proficiency in various fields of mathematics, such as algebra, statistics, geometry and trigonometry. The first step to implementing electrical plans is to understand the mathematical principles that govern the electrical system. The next step is to perform accurate calculations to ensure that the design plan is safe and accurate.

You can also use your mathematical skills to design and test new electrical equipment and create computer simulations and designs for new products.

Quality control

Quality control involves assessing the results of executed plans and evaluating whether the final output meets the specified requirements. By using this skill, you can make sure your design complies with industry standards. By doing so, you ensure the project's success and quality.

Soft skills

Here are some soft skills required for a job in this field:

Communication

As part of your job, you may require to communicate with vendors, stakeholders and contractors to procure components for various projects. This includes ensuring the quality of the components and making sure that they meet the safety standards, and are within the allocated budget. Performing these activities requires effective communication skills.

As part of large projects, you may often work in teams and collaborate with individuals from other domains. Having good communication skills helps you build trust with colleagues, improves teamwork and fosters a positive work environment.

Problem-solving

As a professional in this field, you may handle large-scale construction projects requiring complex electrical work. These projects may face budget and time constraints, overhead costs, safety concerns and the requirement of maximising output while reducing energy consumption. When you possess problem-solving skills, you can conduct research, develop creative solutions and design plans that meet clients' needs.

Leadership

As part of your role as an electrical project engineer, you require supervising teams to ensure that the project is progressing as planned. The role also entails creating budget plans, delegating and monitoring tasks, performing quality assurance, communicating with stakeholders and clients and ensuring that the final output meets the safety standards and industry guidelines. Using your leadership skills, you can implement the vision and values of the company, boost employee morale, foster a positive work environment and increase productivity.

How to improve your electrical project engineer skills

Follow these steps if you want to improve your skills:

1. Get certified

Most employers expect professionals in this field to be certified in their area of expertise. Some relevant certification courses include:

Project Management Professional
AutoCAD Certified Professional
Electrical Technician Certification
Engineering Management Certification Fundamentals (EMCF)

2. Stay updated

Update yourself on the latest technological developments, recent inventions and the use of artificial intelligence and blockchain in electrical engineering. Here are some ways you can stay current with the latest developments:

reading research papers and journals
attending workshops, live events and seminars
following other professionals and industry experts
taking part in electrical engineering design contests

3. Focus on your soft skills

Apart from technical proficiency, companies also seek candidates who can collaborate and work alongside others and foster a positive work environment. Some soft skills include communication, problem-solving, teamwork and leadership. Here are some ways you can improve them:

practising active listening
completing additional courses to improve communication skills
building positive relationships in the workplace
adapting to workplace changes
asking for feedback and making improvements
leading a team to complete a set of activities

Electrical project engineer skills in the workplace

The ability to demonstrate your skills in the workplace is critical to earning the trust of colleagues and managers. Listed below are some ways to present your skills at the workplace:

Make recommendations. You can recommend improving existing electrical designs or propose innovative solutions to reduce cost and development time. This shows that you are up-to-date with the current technology and industry trends.
Conduct sessions to stay updated on recent advancements. You can conduct sessions to share recent developments in electrical engineering. This shows that you are eager to learn new things and share your knowledge with others in the team.
Conduct research. You can conduct research to aid the development and design of new and innovative electrical systems that are energy efficient and have improved output. By doing so, you demonstrate to your company that you are enthusiastic about improving your knowledge and contributing to the company's growth.

Tips to highlight skills relevant to electrical engineering

When interviewing for a job role in this field, it is essential to highlight technical and soft skills on your resume, cover letter or during an interview. Use the following tips to showcase your skills:

On a resume

You can start by mentioning your skills in the professional summary section of your resume. This allows the interviewers to get an overview of your past accomplishments, work experience and skills. When you describe your work experience, be sure to show how your skills contributed to achieving your goals in your past jobs.

Also include a distinct section where you mention your technical skills, such as knowledge of design software and proficiency in electrical design and quality control. You can also include skills relevant to project management, such as leadership, risk management and decision making.

In a cover letter

In your cover letter, demonstrate how you used your skills to achieve goals in previous roles. For instance, you may mention how you created a design layout for a large scale power grid project that reduced the development cost by 15%. Describe your plan for achieving similar results for the company you are applying for.

Through this, you can clearly demonstrate to potential employers that you understand the mission, challenges and goals of the company and are eager to contribute to the organisation's growth.

During an interview

As part of a job interview, the interviewer may ask about your technical knowledge and prior work experience. Mention how you applied your technical skills to solve various problems at your previous company. You can include examples of how you collaborated with other teams to overcome challenges, found innovative solutions and contributed to the company's efficiency and growth. This helps the interviewer assess if you are a suitable candidate for the position.

Please note that none of the companies, institutions and organisations mentioned in the article are associated with Indeed.