You’re going to start hearing people talk about the September Surge, the idea that hiring tends to pick back up once fall budgets and headcount open after summer. I’m not here to promise you anything about what September brings. Nobody actually knows that yet. What I do know is this: the people who are ready when things move are usually the ones who used the quiet months to get ready, not the ones who waited to see what happens first. Are you using July to prep, or are you waiting it out?

Let’s talk Gemini Gems, since most people have never touched one. A Gem is Gemini’s version of a custom assistant. Instead of starting from a blank chat every time, you build one with a specific job and specific instructions baked in. Here’s the setup part, not the content that goes inside it: - Open Gemini - Look for Gems in the side menu - Create a new one - Give it a name - Add instructions that tell it exactly what role it’s playing For job search work, that could be a Gem whose only job is decoding job descriptions, or one whose only job is helping you prep for behavioral interview questions. The instructions are the part that matters most. Be specific about: - the role it’s playing - the tone you want - what you want it to ask before it gives an answer A Gem with vague instructions behaves like a generic chat. A Gem with sharp instructions behaves like a specialist. Build one this week with a single, narrow job. Don’t try to make it do everything. Tell me what you built it for.

Heading into the weekend, so let’s keep this one easy. A win this week could be a reply you got, an interview you landed, or just a search you ran with more intention than last week. Tailored beats mass applied every time, even if tailored means fewer applications. What are you walking into the weekend with? Drop it below.

July always feels like the slowest month in a job search. Less posting. Fewer recruiter emails. Inboxes go quiet. Here’s the thing nobody says out loud: slow does not mean stuck. Some of the most useful job search work happens when nobody is watching. - Tightening your resume - Cleaning up LinkedIn - Actually reading job descriptions instead of skimming and applying If you treat July like a dead zone, it will feel like one. If you treat it like prep time, you show up to fall already warmed up instead of starting cold. What’s one thing you’ve been putting off in your search that you could finally knock out this month?

Summer job searching is genuinely hard. The pace feels off. People are harder to reach. The feedback loop gets longer. And everyone around you seems to be doing something relaxing while you're in your inbox refreshing. If you stayed in it this month, that matters. Drop one word that describes your June in the comments. I'll compile them and share back what I see. See you in July.