Here's how you can recover and come back stronger after a telecommunications layoff.

Don't wait for layoffs to update your resume. Do it regularly, at least once a year. We're living in crazy times, and everything is possible. Keeping your resume current ensures you're always prepared for new opportunities, even unexpected ones. Updating your resume regularly also serves as a good reminder to pursue new trainings or certifications. Staying proactive in your professional development enhances your skills and makes you more competitive in the job market. By maintaining an up-to-date resume, you're ready for any career changes that come your way, turning potential setbacks into opportunities for growth and advancement.

Enhance your skills and learning by: 1. Identifying in-demand skills for your area within telecom or transferable skills relevant to broader engineering fields. 2. Considering online courses, certifications, or bootcamps to sharpen your technical expertise. 3. Open-source project contributions can showcase your skills and commitment as well.

Leverage Your Network by: 1. Informing your network (colleagues, former managers, professional groups) about your job search. 2. Seeking informational interviews with people in your field to explore new opportunities. 3. Utilizing online platforms like LinkedIn to connect with recruiters and potential employers.

Recovering from a telco layoff may require to explore niches where your expertise can be highly valued. One promising area is cybersecurity. With increasing threats, companies in various sectors need telco experts to secure their communication networks and data. Another niche may be the Internet of Things (IoT). Industries like manufacturing and healthcare require skilled professionals to implement and manage IoT solutions, ensuring seamless connectivity and efficiency. Additionally, the growing field of smart cities present opportunities. Urban development projects need telco expertise to create advanced infrastructure for improved city management and services.

The most important thing is to take care of yourself. Allow yourself to process the situation. It's okay to feel disappointed or angry. Focus on your well-being. Eat healthy food, exercise periodically, and get enough sleep. Avoid overthinking and get balance between your brain and body exertions.

Take advice from actor Neil Patrick Harris: "When I'm Sad I stop being sad, and be awesome instead." - or the German comedian Karl Valentin: “I am happy when it rains because if I am not happy, it still rains.” Always remember: Nothing will be better when you are in a bad mood.

Develop expertise in IoT & edge computing technologies. I undertook an IoT specialization on Coursera, which led to a project integrating IoT devices for a smart city initiative, improving connectivity & data processing efficiency at the edge. Implementing edge computing solutions can showcase your ability to handle real-time data processing. I worked on deploying edge servers to optimise data flow & reduce latency in a telecommunications network, enhancing user experience. Delve into data analytics & machine learning applications in telecommunications. I completed a course on machine learning from Coursera & applied these skills to a project analysing network traffic patterns to predict & prevent outages.

Irrespective of past success and achievements a layoof can severely dent ones confidence and morale. Before starting off the grind again it is important develop confidence and morale which can be boosted in below ways 1. Think of past achievements 2. Reflect on steps taken to achieve those successess 3. Maintaining journal to reflect on achievements and what steps to be taken to bounce back. 4. Its important to take care of one self. Moderate exercise and certain breathing techniques would help. These would certainly help in boosting ones self image to take necessary steps to bounce back post layoff