There are few industries that remain untouched by the tech jobs surge. Telecoms is no different, with a wealth of job opportunities available in the sector. Hays Recruitment’s Saq Yaqub talks us through the eight hottest jobs in comms.
The type of work you perform in telecoms jobs can be as varied as the different job titles available.
The comms industry incorporates voice, video, internet and other data and communications services. Whether you’re looking for a sales jobs or you want a job with more general duties, one of the top sector jobs will likely appeal:
1. Installers and technicians
Installing and repairing are two essential aspects of telecoms. There are two types of jobs in this area: equipment installers and line installers.
Equipment installers generally work with specialised equipment necessary to set up networks and connections in offices and buildings. They install, service, and repair routers, modems and other equipment used to connect the network.
In this area, you will encounter job titles such as field engineers, riggers, frames engineers and installation engineers.
A job as a line installer means you’ll acquire specialised, hands-on experience and knowledge of exterior telecom poles and terminals. You’ll be expected to lay wires and cables – sometimes underground – that connect to residential homes and communities.
Line installers and repairers also service the telephone poles when outages occur or new cables need to be fitted. This area includes typical job titles such as field engineers, riggers, frames engineers, PBX engineers, installation engineers and RAN engineers.
2. Customer service representatives
Customer service representatives constitute one of the larger segments of telecoms jobs.
These individuals often work in a call centre, answering inbound calls from existing customers of the company. Customer service representatives answer questions, as well as inform customers of new services, and tell them about changes to existing services. They also respond to complaints over the phone, via online support or through traditional mail services.
3. Telephone operators
Though not a major part of the industry by any stretch, individuals in these jobs assist customers with a variety of requests. For example, the operator may provide telephone numbers (such as a ‘111’ service), assist with reverse-charge telephone calls, or help the customer obtain emergency assistance.
Other specialised services performed by operators depend on the type of telecoms company for which they work.
4. Telecoms engineers
There are several different types of engineers in the telecoms industry, largely professionals with experience and qualifications gained in the areas of data and communications services. Engineers have a variety of duties. Some plan cable routes and equipment installations. Some are involved with R&D activities, designing new equipment and finding new applications for hardware.
A host of relevant certifications exists within the telecoms sector, ranging from fibre splicing and the New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA), to Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) and Juniper Networks Certified Internet Expert (JNCIE). Their importance in any given role is dependent upon the core structure the companies are using and whether they have a multi-vendor platform.
This area would include jobs such as design engineers, support engineers, and NMC and NOC engineers.
5. Telecoms specialists
These roles are varied, and can range from coordination to very specific niche expertise in operating support systems (OSS) or business support systems (BSS), data analytics or application development.
Telecoms specialists can coordinate, manage or support the design of service products and devices. Specialists may make customer appointments with installers or repairers to set up repairs or maintenance on systems, cables and other specialty equipment.
Individuals in these specialist telecom jobs also provide follow-up and expertise on specific issues. Project coordinators, for instance, assist other professionals and organisations in the delivery of projects.
These specialist roles would include, but are not limited to, architects, service delivery managers, and project and programme managers. This area would encompass specialist skills gained in telecoms, ranging from private branch exchange (PBX) – provided by companies like Avaya, Panasonic, Mitel – to mobile app developers and data scientists.
Other roles in this area include project coordinators, data scientists, network architects (including OSS/BSS), project and programme managers, mobile app developers and embedded developers.
6. Telecoms sales
These jobs involve marketing and selling products like phone, cable, or internet to either residential or business-class customers.
Individuals in telecoms sales jobs may undergo a specific training program from the company when they get hired. You’ll not only learn about the products themselves, but also sales tactics and tricks for use in communication with potential leads.
7. Telecoms managers and support personnel
You can also get involved in the sector as support personnel or as a telecoms manager, with a variety of job titles, positions, and duties on offer. Many of these roles are based in comfortable office environments.
In such a job, you could be performing administrative duties, managing a communications network and its related technologies, or managing call centre customer service representatives.
8. Marketing specialists
The telecoms industry needs marketing specialists. This is an area that is likely to grow within the next decade.
Telecoms marketing specialists produce ads for the company. They may write sales copy, survey the best radio stations and make other marketing materials, as needed.
All told, a variety of jobs exist in the telecoms industry. Whether you’d like to put your administrative experience to work, become an installation technician or work in telecoms sales jobs, there are roles to suit just about anyone.
Saq Yaqub has worked in telecoms technical recruitment at Hays for over 10 years. He has managed Hays’ key client portfolio, including Virgin Media, Alcatel, Telent, Infosys, Telefonica, BT, EA, and various other tech organisations. He has been responsible for procuring resources in all areas of these businesses through permanent and contingency recruitment.
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