Mike Simpson is the co-founder of The Interview Guys, the career-advice site he launched in February 2013 to help job seekers actually land the roles they want. Over the last 13 years, the site has reached more than 100 million job seekers worldwide, and Mike's particular focus is interview preparation: how candidates can actually answer the questions hiring managers really care about.
He holds a Business degree from Bishop's University (HR major, Economics minor) and is an active member of the Professional Association of Résumé Writers & Career Coaches (PARWCC) and the National Career Development Association (NCDA). His advice has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and CNBC, and is referenced by career-services teams at the University of Michigan, Penn State, Northeastern, the University of Toronto, McGill, Wellesley College, and Kansas State, among others.
Articles credited to Mike on The Interview Guys are reviewed and edited by him personally to make sure the frameworks, examples, and recommendations match what actually works in real interviews.
You’ve landed the interview. Now what? The difference between candidates who get offers and those who don’t isn’t just qualifications—it’s preparation. While most job seekers show up hoping for the best, top performers treat interview prep like a strategic campaign. Here’s what separates interview winners from everyone else: they don’t just prepare answers, they prepare…
Picture this: You’re sitting across from a hiring manager who just asked, “Tell me about a time you worked effectively in a team.” Your mind goes blank, and you start rambling about a group project from college. Sound familiar? Most candidates think teamwork questions are “easy” interview questions. They’re wrong. These questions are designed to…
The hiring manager leans forward and asks: “Do you work well under pressure?” Your heart rate spikes. Ironically, you’re experiencing pressure right now—and your answer to this question could determine whether you get the job. Most candidates either give generic answers (“I work great under pressure!”) or accidentally reveal they crack under stress. Neither approach…
Nearly 1 in 4 job seekers (25%) had a gap of at least 12 months in 2025, up from 19% in 2020. Yet most candidates still panic when explaining career breaks. Here’s the thing: your career gap isn’t the problem—your narrative about it is. Post-pandemic resumes show breaks everywhere. A 2022 LinkedIn survey of 23,000…
You know what’s wild? Most job seekers are still using the same spray-and-pray approach that barely worked 20 years ago. They blast out the same generic resume to 100 companies, write one cover letter with mail-merge company names, and wonder why they’re getting ghosted by hiring managers. Here’s the hard truth: In 2025’s hyper-competitive job…
“I don’t have any experience, so I’ll just take whatever they offer me.” If this sounds like your salary negotiation strategy, you’re leaving thousands of dollars on the table – and we’re going to fix that today. Here’s the truth that most entry-level candidates don’t realize: You absolutely can negotiate salary without experience by using…
The hiring manager couldn’t see your perfectly polished shoes, but they definitely noticed when your Wi-Fi cut out during the most important question. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Virtual interviews have become the new standard, with 86% of organizations now using video interviews in their hiring process. But here’s the thing most job seekers don’t…
You’re in an interview, feeling confident about your responses, when the hiring manager asks, “How do you handle criticism?” Suddenly, your mind goes blank, or worse, you start rambling about how you “take feedback well” without any real substance. Here’s the reality: most candidates either get defensive when discussing criticism, give generic responses about being…
You’re sitting across from the hiring manager, and they lean forward with that question that makes most candidates freeze: “What are you most proud of?” Your mind races through a lifetime of achievements – that time you organized your college fundraiser, when you finally learned to parallel park, or maybe that promotion you earned last…
You open your email and there it is: “Complete your job simulation within 48 hours.” Your heart sinks. Job simulation? Nobody mentioned anything about a job simulation. If you’re like most candidates, you’re probably frantically Googling “what is a job simulation” and “how to pass HireVue assessment” while wondering if this is some kind of…
