"Help! I need a new job, but where do I start?"

Are you feeling in a funk over starting work again as we enter the new year? You aren't alone - many of us find it hard to ease back in after the holiday break.

With that in mind, we asked Anniki Sommerville, author of The Big Quit, to share some of her top tips for starting those gentle steps into working out whether 'the funk' is something you can get over - or whether now is the time to change things for the better. 

"The important thing is to identify whether this is something you’ve been feeling for some time or whether it’s something that’s just come up after the rush of Christmas. That's why my first tip is to NOT rush any decision! Take time to think things through and try not to be too reactive!", advises Anniki. Here's her advice:

Start looking around at your options
It’s important to make your next move from a position of power and authority, so get onto LinkedIn and spend some time browsing different companies that are doing the kinds of things you are interested in. These might be startups or they may be bigger companies. Look at whether they’re hiring and what kind of roles.

Send speculative queries
Even if there isn’t a role, a good tip is to send out informed queries to companies. Show that you have done your research and then explain succinctly why your skills would be useful. This can also be done on LinkedIn, or if you are lucky enough to have a personal contact of someone you want to work for then send them an email. 

Network, and network again!
Everyone hates the word networking (or maybe that’s just us!), but networking is really just about connecting with other people and helps you widen your opportunities. If you have a good network then you can use this to reach out to people to ask if there are any vacancies or whether they know of anyone who is hiring. 'Real life' networking events can be great for opportunities and connecting with new people. These are often free or even use your existing network (friends on WhatsApp) to ask if there is anyone who works in X Company that can help you find out more about working with them.

Stay positive
This sounds like trite advice but our work performance is intrinsically linked to our confidence. If we have been in a toxic workplace or been badly managed then our confidence in our skills is likely to be impacted. Your first job therefore is to work on your confidence, because you won’t be able to 'sell' yourself to others unless you feel great about what you can offer. Write down a list of all your past achievements, save any emails that clients or colleagues have sent you where they’ve praised your talent, and make sure you surround yourself with friends and family who boost your confidence (and avoid emotional drains!). This will help you in your current role in terms of staying motivating and not losing your cool and will also help you move into your next one too. 

More than anything - Good luck!