Skills
Appliance Repair Technician Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in appliance repair technicians, and how to build and show them.
Appliance Repair Technicians need technical skills such as electrical troubleshooting, refrigeration, and wiring diagrams, plus people skills like customer service and problem-solving. They also use tools such as Multimeters and Refrigerant gauges.
Technical (hard) skills
- Electrical troubleshooting
- Refrigeration
- Wiring diagrams
- Parts replacement
- Gas appliance safety
- Diagnostics
People (soft) skills
- Customer service
- Problem-solving
- Honesty
- Time management
Tools, equipment and technology
- Multimeters
- Refrigerant gauges
- Hand tools
- Diagnostic apps
- Appliance dollies
- Tablets
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how appliance repair technicians put their skills to work:
- How to diagnose a refrigerator that isn’t cooling
- How to fix a washer that won’t drain
- How to replace a dryer heating element
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Electrical troubleshooting” and “Refrigeration.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “customer service,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as EPA 608 certification near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our appliance repair technician glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Appliance Repair Technician training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.