Trades CV Tips for Hands-On Roles in Fiji

A trades CV should read like a site handover: clear, factual, and easy to check. The person hiring for electrical, plumbing, carpentry, welding, refrigeration, automotive, civil, or maintenance work wants to know what you can safely do on day one and what still needs supervision.

Start with your trade line. Weak: Looking for a job in construction. Better: Carpenter General Class II candidate with 4 years residential and resort maintenance experience, own hand tools, and valid Group 2 driving licence. That line puts your trade, level, experience, tools, and mobility in one place.

Jobs in Fiji for tradespeople are affected by real skills pressure. The 2025 National Skills Gap Assessment Survey listed electricians, carpentry and joinery, tradespeople, welders, refrigeration technicians, fitters, and heavy goods drivers among shortage areas. Employers are not just filling a seat. They are trying to keep projects, maintenance rosters, and compliance moving.

Put tickets and training near the top, especially if the ad asks for them. FNU's National Training and Productivity Centre runs apprenticeship and national trade testing pathways. The National Trade Testing Scheme tests practical skills across trades such as Electrician, Carpenter General, Plumber General, Welding, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Automotive Mechanical, and Chef, with Class III, Class II, and Class I levels.

Write the certificate exactly as it appears on your document. Do not upgrade your level in the CV because you are nearly finished. Use language such as Trade Test Class III completed, Class II booked, or apprenticeship year 3 if that is true. If your card, licence, or certificate has an expiry date, include it.

Your first work-history bullets should prove the kind of site you know. Weak: Did electrical work. Better: Installed conduit, pulled cable, assisted switchboard upgrades, labelled circuits, and tested under licensed electrician supervision on a commercial fit-out in Suva. The better line shows task, environment, and supervision.

For plumbing, carpentry, and maintenance roles, name materials and tools. Better examples include: Repaired PVC and copper pipe leaks, replaced fixtures, and completed daily maintenance requests for 40-room resort. Or: Framed partitions, hung doors, fitted skirting, and used circular saw, planer, and nail gun under site supervisor direction.

For refrigeration and air conditioning, separate installation, service, and fault finding. Weak: Aircon experience. Better: Assisted split-system installation, cleaned filters and coils, checked drain lines, recorded service notes, and escalated refrigerant faults to senior technician. This is honest and still useful if you are not yet licensed for every task.

Safety belongs in the top half of a trades CV. Mention site inductions, PPE habits, working at heights, confined spaces, hot works, lockout awareness, first aid, toolbox meetings, and incident reporting where you have real exposure. Employers know one careless worker can stop a job and injure a team.

Do not bury driving and mobility. Many hands-on roles involve moving between sites, collecting materials, or responding to maintenance calls. List your LTA licence group or class only if valid, and mention clean driving history only if you can support it. If you cannot drive, be honest and focus on commute reliability.

If you own tools, say what level. Own basic hand tools is enough for some roles. Do not claim full tool kit if you will arrive without the gear. For workshop roles, name machines and measuring tools you can use safely: multimeter, grinder, welder type, drill press, planer, levels, calipers, or diagnostic tools.

Project context helps employers compare you. A one-line project description is enough: hotel refurbishment, residential builds, school maintenance, factory shutdown, shop fit-out, solar support, road works, or vessel maintenance. Include team size if useful: Worked in a 6-person crew under foreman, completed daily punch-list tasks before handover.

Apprentices and helpers should not pretend to be fully qualified. A good helper CV says what you have assisted with, what you can do independently, and what must be checked. Better: Prepared materials, measured and cut timber, cleaned work area, read basic drawings, and asked supervisor to inspect before fixing.

If you have gaps or short site jobs, label them clearly. Contract work is common across construction, resort maintenance, and shutdown projects. Write dates by month and year, and say Contract, Casual, or Project role beside the title. A clear contract label looks steadier than unexplained movement.

Keep your CV practical and phone-readable. Two pages are usually enough. Use plain headings: Trade Summary, Tickets and Licences, Work Experience, Tools and Equipment, Safety, Education, Referees. Avoid heavy graphics because site supervisors and HR officers may open your CV on a phone.

Referees should be people who saw your work quality and safety habits: foreman, licensed tradesperson, workshop manager, maintenance supervisor, project engineer, or client manager. Ask first. A referee who says you were reliable, followed instructions, and cleaned the site can matter as much as one who praises skill.

Before applying, compare your CV with the ad. If the ad says electrical maintenance, put maintenance examples before new-build examples. If it says resort maintenance, show guest-area work, response time, and tidy presentation. If it says apprentice, show learning attitude and attendance.

Search FijiCareers for trade Jobs in Fiji, then apply through the employer link with a CV that proves tickets, tools, safety, and real tasks. Bring copies of trade certificates, licence, logbook, and references to the interview if the employer asks.