The Muse

Canva/The Muse Late June is traditionally a quiet period in the corporate world as summer vacations begin, but for job seekers, it’s a critical window of opportunity. While the hiring pace might feel like it's slowing down, savvy candidates use this time to refine their approach, fix hidden flaws in their resumes, and prepare for the inevitable surge of Q3 hiring.

Canva/The Muse As the initial momentum of the new year settles into a steadier rhythm, the job market often experiences a distinct shift. Companies have solidified their budgets, departments are looking to fill gaps before the busy season, and competition for open roles becomes sharper.

Canva/The Muse Summer 2026 is bringing fresh energy to the job market, with leaders across multiple fields seeking new talent to drive innovation and support strategic development. As organizations advance their goals for the second half of the year, expanding teams with diverse, collaborative, and forward-thinking individuals remains a top priority.

Bridget Spellman, Leader of Mainframe Services Delivery at Ensono For more than three decades in leadership—and the last five years leading global mainframe services delivery at Ensono—Bridget Spellman has built her career around a simple principle: Trust people first. Today, she oversees a global organization of more than 700 employees supporting clients across the U.S., India, the U.K., Poland, Singapore, and Brazil.

Canva/The Muse We’ve all seen the posts online about the careers AI will replace in the near future. According to them, it’s pretty much every single one (have you seen those robot haircuts? No thank you). Naturally we’ve all probably asked ourselves: is AI going to take my job? The better question to ask is this: If I adopt AI as a tool will it make my job easier and make my expertise more valuable? I believe the answer is a resounding yes. To do so we will be required to develop a new set of skills.

Canva/The Muse In today's fast-paced world, finding a job that respects the boundary between your professional and personal life is more important than ever. Gone are the days when burning the midnight oil was a badge of honor; today, top talent is seeking out employers who actively prevent burnout and promote holistic well-being. For the organizations on our radar this month, work-life balance isn't just a corporate buzzword, it’s a core cultural pillar.

David Slattery, Senior Program Manager at Navy Federal Credit Union. In today’s rapidly shifting professional landscape, the traditional career path is increasingly nonlinear. Many professionals, often referred to as "boomerang" employees, are finding that the most meaningful growth isn't always found by chasing the latest trends elsewhere, but by returning to an environment that genuinely invests in their long-term success.

Chelsey Stecken, a Farmers Insurance District Manager. For Chelsey Stecken, a career in insurance wasn’t part of the original plan. Growing up, she thought she would go into medicine. Helping people had always felt like a calling. But at 18, while working as a waitress and attending college, an unexpected opportunity to sell life insurance introduced her to an entirely different way to make an impact.

Canva/The Muse You feel like you’ve been doing a great job at work. Your manager’s feedback confirms this feeling. You’ve even taken on new responsibilities. Now would be the perfect time to ask for that raise, right? But something always seems to get in the way. Maybe you worry that asking for more money will come across as ungrateful. Maybe you're not sure you’ve done enough to justify it. Maybe you keep rehearsing the conversation in your head and it doesn't quite feel right.

Canva/The Muse You can read more and follow David Bethoney’s newsletter at The Revive. Week two in my tenure at The Muse, I was in investor meetings. The company was mid-Series C fundraise and I was there to show up and contribute. I didn’t know the business. Didn’t know the financials. Was completely new to the space. That didn’t matter. The meetings were happening and hundreds of employees were relying on me to do my part.