I never wired a distribution board — should I write that in the CV?

Do not claim an item you never did. Write plainly that you are strong on wiring and fitting water fixtures, and that you never wired a distribution board — the contractor can place you in the right team and still hand you suitable work, instead of handing you a board and having it wired to the wrong load.

How long should a residential electrical and plumbing CV be?

One to two pages is enough: one role line, 4–6 real items, tools and measuring equipment used, and how you test and hand over. Longer without adding a real item still gets skipped.

Do I need to give old project addresses and former homeowners' names?

Give only the old project type (house, rented room, townhouse) and the items you did, never a detailed address or a former homeowner's name. The new contractor needs to know the items, not who the old homeowner was.

How do I prove I work safely with little experience?

Write the item by the exact process you followed: switching off power or shutting off water first, what you did, what you tested afterwards, and what you handed over to the homeowner. One item written to the real process is worth more than ten vague lines.

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Job seekers8 min read

CV for residential electricians and plumbers: write it so the contractor and the homeowner see at once that you can do the job safely

Keep it to 1–2 pages: one line with the role plus the item and project type, 4–6 real electrical and plumbing tasks such as running wiring, fitting breakers and sockets, running pipes, fitting sanitary ware, fixing leaks and handling short circuits, how you test after the work, and how you hand over to the homeowner. Skip vague lines like “can do all electrical and plumbing work” with no detail on whether you run surface or concealed wiring, only help pull cables, or have wired a distribution board yourself — the contractor then has nothing to place you on the right project.

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How contractors and homeowners read a CV

Unlike a phone and laptop repair CV — finding the right fault and protecting customer data — or a construction worker's CV — bricklaying, plastering, painting and formwork — a residential electrical and plumbing CV is judged in exactly three places: whether the work is done to standard, whether it is electrically safe and free of water leaks, and whether the handover is clear enough for the homeowner to use it straight away. Contractors and homeowners look for four answers: which electrical and plumbing items you can do, which project types you have worked on, whether you can use the team's tools and measuring equipment, and whether you can handle faults that arise during installation. Missing any one of the four usually puts the CV behind others, even if you are genuinely hard-working and keen to learn. So put the item and project type right after the role line, then tools and measuring equipment, then testing and handing over last in the main part. The faster you show real work, the more likely you get the call.

One role line: title + item + project type

Open the CV with exactly one line: the title you want, the item, and the project type. Examples: “Residential electrician and plumber, running wiring and fitting water fixtures for houses, project-based.” For an electrician: “Residential electrician, concealed wiring and house distribution-board connections, working in an installation team.” For a plumber: “Residential plumber, running pipes and fitting sanitary ware for houses and rented rooms, project-based.” For an assistant: “Electrical and plumbing assistant, working in a team, ready to help pull cables, chase walls, help fit pipes and test after installation.” One such line tells the contractor at once whether you fit the project that needs someone, instead of forcing it to read the whole CV only to learn you only help pull cables while the project needs someone to wire a distribution board, or only do plumbing while the project needs someone to run wiring. The most common mistake is writing it too generally (“looking for electrical and plumbing work”) or naming the title without the item and project type — both force the contractor to ask, and when hiring urgently to hand a house over on time, people who need asking are usually skipped first.

Items and project types: one item per line, exactly what you did

This section is mandatory for residential electrical and plumbing CVs and is the biggest difference from other skilled trades. List the items you have done, one line each, written as concrete tasks. For wiring: running house wiring — your work was reading the wiring drawing, chasing and running conduit, pulling cable of the right size, connecting sockets and switches, and testing continuity before switching on. For distribution boards: fitting breakers and boards — your work was fitting the main breaker and branch breakers to the right load, wiring neatly and labelling each branch, and testing earth-leakage protection before handover. For plumbing: running pipes and fitting sanitary ware — your work was running supply and waste pipes to the right fall, fitting toilets, basins and showers, and testing pressure and leaks before handover. For repairs: fixing leaks and short circuits — your work was finding the leak or short, replacing the faulty pipe or cable section, and rechecking the whole repaired section before delivery. For rented rooms and small repairs: repairing electrical and plumbing in rented rooms — your work was replacing broken sockets and switches, replacing leaking valves and taps, rechecking after repair and advising the homeowner how to use them. State clearly which items you really did (surface or concealed wiring, wiring a board or only assisting, cold water pipes or hot water too — list the items you really did, and state plainly any item you have not done) and which items you only helped pull cables or fit pipes for, and do not claim a whole distribution board as wired by you alone from start to finish. Claiming an item you never did to “make the CV look good” shows up at once when the contractor hands you a real distribution board to test — and costs you the place in that team.

Tools, measuring equipment and materials: only tools and equipment you really used

Tools and measuring equipment are what set this CV apart from other CVs — state clearly: tools you really used (pliers, screwdrivers, drill, chisel machine, heat-fusion pipe welder — list the tools you really used, and state plainly any tool you have not used), measuring equipment you used (electrical meter, voltage tester, water-pressure gauge — list the equipment you really used, never a blanket “can use all machines”), and materials you worked with (cable, water pipe, breakers, sockets, sanitary ware — list the types you really worked with, never claim one you never used). The contractor assigns work by skill level — overstating it and then wiring a distribution board to the wrong load endangers the whole house and loses the project. State your real level from the start, even if you are strong on wiring and fitting water fixtures and only support on testing, rather than writing vaguely and then struggling when the contractor needs someone to wire a distribution board.

Testing, safety and handing over: only power that runs well and water that does not leak keeps you in the team

Each point on testing, safety and handing over needs just one line stating the main task: testing after installation (measuring continuity and checking earth-leakage breakers before switching on, pressure-testing and checking the whole pipe run for leaks before handover — state the real method, not a vague “finished”), safety while working (switching off power before connecting, shutting off water before replacing pipes, shielding the work area — state the real method, and mention handling electrical and plumbing faults only if you really did it), and handing over (writing the items done and each breaker's position in the record, advising the homeowner how to cut power and shut off water in a fault, delivering on the promised date — state the real handover, and mention fixing repeat faults only if you really did it). If you once did a job wrong (for example wiring a breaker to the wrong load and rewiring it, running a waste pipe to the wrong fall and fixing it, or fitting sanitary ware that leaked and retightening it), do not hide it: note it and what you changed afterwards (rewiring the breaker to the right load and testing earth-leakage protection before delivery, correcting the pipe fall and pressure-testing before delivery, retightening and rechecking for leaks before delivery). One mistake fixed with a clear checking process is not an absolute weakness here; hiding it and being found out by the homeowner later is.

Experience, hours and how you take work: only what is true and checkable

State your experience clearly: years in residential electrical and plumbing work (the true number of years), project types you worked on (houses, rented rooms, townhouses — list the types you really worked on, never give a former homeowner's detailed address), and your strongest item (the item you did most). State your hours clearly: project-based work, overtime when a handover is due, Saturdays and Sundays — and state plainly any mode you cannot do. Do not claim items you never did or tools you never used, and skip hobbies and elaborate portrait photos. The contractor mostly calls or messages — your phone number must be one you actually use and answer outside site hours.

Contact details and next step

At the end, only four things are needed: full name, phone number, title and strongest item, and the work modes you accept. No detailed home address, no hobbies, no elaborate portrait photo. Next, create an account and upload your CV so contractors can find it: register as a candidate on timviecde.vn (/register). Note: with an unverified email you cannot upload a CV or receive selection emails — verify your email right after registering, before uploading.

Do this next

One role line: the title you want + the item + the project type.
Real electrical and plumbing items done, tools and measuring equipment used, and how you test and hand over.
State plainly what you have never done; a phone number you actually use and answer outside site hours.

Common questions

I never wired a distribution board — should I write that in the CV?: Do not claim an item you never did. Write plainly that you are strong on wiring and fitting water fixtures, and that you never wired a distribution board — the contractor can place you in the right team and still hand you suitable work, instead of handing you a board and having it wired to the wrong load.
How long should a residential electrical and plumbing CV be?: One to two pages is enough: one role line, 4–6 real items, tools and measuring equipment used, and how you test and hand over. Longer without adding a real item still gets skipped.
Do I need to give old project addresses and former homeowners' names?: Give only the old project type (house, rented room, townhouse) and the items you did, never a detailed address or a former homeowner's name. The new contractor needs to know the items, not who the old homeowner was.
How do I prove I work safely with little experience?: Write the item by the exact process you followed: switching off power or shutting off water first, what you did, what you tested afterwards, and what you handed over to the homeowner. One item written to the real process is worth more than ten vague lines.
After registering an account, what do I do so my CV reaches the contractor?: Open the verification email right after registering — with an unverified email you cannot upload a CV or receive selection emails. Then upload your CV and check that your phone number is reachable.

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