Go to a local hardware store. See how many different tools there are for each job. Pick the area of the store that interests you most and ask an employee more about the tools there.

Visit a hardware store and look around.

Whether you're working in IT, mechanics, or as a service technician, it's important to be able to communicate effectively with clients and customers. Check out these tips to strengthen your communication skills.

Learn to communicate more effectively with clients.

Try these quick projects from Khan Academy that you can do at home. Build a simple motor, a ping pong ball launcher, or something else from the list!

Develop mechanics knowledge with hands-on projects!

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.

Home Appliance Repairers

Repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens.

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations

Other Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations

Bill customers for repair work, and collect payment.

Observe and examine appliances during operation to detect specific malfunctions such as loose parts or leaking fluid.

Talk to customers or refer to work orders to establish the nature of appliance malfunctions.

Refer to schematic drawings, product manuals, and troubleshooting guides to diagnose and repair problems.

Trace electrical circuits, following diagrams, and conduct tests with circuit testers and other equipment to locate shorts and grounds.

Replace worn and defective parts such as switches, bearings, transmissions, belts, gears, circuit boards, or defective wiring.

Provide repair cost estimates, and recommend whether appliance repair or replacement is a better choice.

Disassemble appliances so that problems can be diagnosed and repairs can be made.

Respond to emergency calls for problems such as gas leaks.

Service and repair domestic electrical or gas appliances, such as clothes washers, refrigerators, stoves, and dryers.

Microsoft Excel

dESCO ESC

Parts database software

RazorSync

ServiceMax

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Office software

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Word

Route mapping software

Web browser software

Socket adapters

Socket extensions

Sealed burner wrenches

Spanner nut wrenches

Snap-ring pliers

Mini tubing cutters

Hex key sets

Carbon monoxide detectors

Digital multimeters

Smart phones

Multipurpose screwdrivers

Flat cold chisels

Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.

Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Every day

How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Constant contact with others

How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

How important is it to deal with external customers (as in retail sales) or the public in general (as in police work) in this job?

Deal With External Customers or the Public in General

Extremely important

Very important

How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls

Continually or almost continually

About half the time

How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

A lot of freedom

Some freedom

How often is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?

How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

How often does this job require working in a closed vehicle or operate enclosed equipment (like a car)?

In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment

Never

How much freedom does the worker have in determining the tasks, priorities, or goals of the job?

Home Appliance Repairers

Overview

Career

What Home Appliance Repairers Do

Other Job Titles Home Appliance Repairers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Home Appliance Repairers

Overview

Career

What Home Appliance Repairers Do

Other Job Titles Home Appliance Repairers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Home Appliance Repairers

Majors Related to Career

Related Leaders