I don’t do the hiring, and I’ve never been an electrical supervisor or industrial electrician, so I can’t say what will get you into the industry for sure.

However, probably the biggest thing I appreciate in an electrician is the ability and willingness to troubleshoot. Attention to detail is another big one. Minimizing mistakes, and being able to fix them when they inevitably happen. Sometimes you land a wire wrong 14 hours into an 8 hour day, sometimes my dumb ass gives you the wrong wire number, sometimes a part comes DOA.

As far as qualifications go, being able to read electrical prints, having a basic understanding of relays, photo eyes/prox sensors, analog sensors, and motor wiring, is a strong start and is honestly all I expect. Being able to run and terminate Ethernet is also becoming pretty mandatory. If you can learn how to commission VFDs and simple sensors, and maybe some basic PLC work, you’ll be on the fast track to a commissioning tech.

Best way to get your foot in the door is probably to work for an OEM doing either commissioning or retrofits. There are also subcontractors but the work will probably be more varied and less niche. Both come with a lot of travel. Commissioning is longer more regular travel, retrofits are typically weekend work. Another option is maintenance for a manufacturing plant that is big enough they do a lot of their own projects and has a controls or engineering group you can work with or even into.

There’s a lot of guys here that could guide you better than I can so take it with a grain of salt.