electrical engineer.

Electrical engineers have a lot of responsibilities that vary, depending on their place of work and specialisation. Nonetheless, some responsibilities are uniform across the board, such as:

• project planning: as an electrical engineer, you plan all electrical projects in your company. The planning process begins with designing drafts of electrical systems on paper. During planning, you draft budgets and source all equipment and components essential to the projects. You also organise and hold meetings with investors and clients to discuss budgeting, system specifications, technical requirements and other issues.
• project development: electrical engineers ensure projects are completed on time and perform as expected. After drafting a plan, you actualise it using CAD machines and oversee its development. Once you make the prototypes, you test their performance capabilities and make necessary improvements.
• managing and maintaining electrical systems: apart from developing new systems, you operate existing electrical systems. You are expected to conduct frequent inspections to ensure all electrical systems work according to global safety guidelines and regulations. Depending on your job description, you may conduct system maintenance and upgrades to ensure electrical systems work efficiently.
• researching and reporting: you are responsible for collecting data on system use, performance and client feedback. With this information, you compile and table scheduled reports before clients and employers. You also research and innovate new technologies in development laboratories, such as biotechnology, medical and computer labs.
• ensuring product quality: as an electrical engineer, you ensure electrical products and electronics are working as expected. You ascertain that electrical systems perform all the functions with ease. Sometimes, you design electrical testing methods for manufacturers to determine equipment performance. You also conduct tests on finished products and check system capabilities.

Since electrical engineers work in various industries, you have unique working environments. In most cases, you work indoors during project planning, design, budgeting and when holding meetings. Production of electrical systems is also done indoors in workstations and labs. However, there are special assignments that force you to work outdoors. In each case, your work environment is high-risk, as it usually involves interacting with electricity. High-risk environments include factories, power generation plants and research labs. This profession also involves interacting with different people, including superiors, administrators, fellow employees, technicians and clients. As you can expect, the working environment demands moderate to high interpersonal skills.

Depending on your employer and the industry you work in, your colleagues might include civil engineers, electricians and mechanical engineers. You might also be working in close proximity to project managers and factory managers, as well as other specialists that could include, but not be limited to, maintenance supervisors, maintenance technicians, and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) technicians.

Electrical engineers have regular but often compartmentalised work schedules. For instance, you could design a project in the morning and move on to test another project or conduct maintenance in the afternoon. However, these schedules are often interrupted, especially if more than one project is underway. You work an average of 40 hours a week and also work overtime to meet project deadlines.

In large companies, electrical engineers work in shifts to ensure a professional is always available in the workplace. Although most electrical engineers work full-time, independent electrical engineers have an even more dynamic work schedule. This is because they divide their time between working on projects and travelling. Both consultants and paid contractors work part-time and, sometimes, for different companies. Remote work is possible for consultants only.

Electrical engineering skills are crucial in almost all production and manufacturing areas. The job growth for electrical engineers is projected to increase by 9.5% in the next five years. When it comes to individual growth potential for electrical engineers, the crucial determiners of success include skills, education and experience levels. Highly recommended engineers rise to managerial ranks in their industry or company. After gaining years of experience as a licensed electrical engineer, you can start a private consultancy or contracting firm or become a freelance contractor.

Finding your electrical engineer job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:

• a wide variety of training and development opportunities
• an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
• a range of opportunities in your area
• get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
• temporary and permanent contracts

Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as an electrical engineer is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too.

Electrical engineers are in high demand, with a projected job growth rate of 9.5% in the next five years. They are essential in building the country's infrastructure and have promising specialisation options.

As an electrical engineer in Australia, you earn an average salary of $115,000 per year. In an entry-level position, your starting salary is $105,000 annually, while experienced electrical engineers take home over $125,000 yearly.

As an electrical engineer, you develop new systems that rely on electrical power. Your job is to install and test electrical systems and processes, and you use software to plan and design electrical systems. Aside from designing new systems, you create electronics, as well as determine installation standards and specifications.

Get a bachelor’s degree in engineering, majoring in electrical power, electrical and electronic engineering. When you complete the degree and practise as an engineer for four years, you qualify to register for a Professional Engineer's licence.

Electrical engineers work on technical problems and apply theoretical knowledge to solve them. The role gives you an opportunity to create electrical systems and work to solve technical problems.

Applying for an electrical engineer job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our electrical engineer job offers. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here.