mock interviews with friends always turned into small talk. so i built something that wouldn't let that happen.

i used to ask friends to do mock interviews with me before big tech interviews. every single time, we'd last maybe two questions before it turned into catching up or them being way too nice about my answers.

i'd prep questions, send them over, and we'd schedule a call. then 10 minutes in we're talking about their dog or they're like 'yeah that answer was great!' when i know i rambled for three minutes without structure.

the problem wasn't them — it's just hard to grill someone you actually like. and i needed that pressure. i needed someone to say 'you didn't answer the question' or 'you're not explaining your thought process.'

so earlier this year i started building nxtinterview. the whole point was to remove the social buffer. it's an AI interviewer that actually pushes back if your answer is vague, tracks whether you're hitting key points, and doesn't care if it hurts your feelings a little. you upload your resume, pick a role type, and it generates questions based on what you'd actually face.

i built it for myself initially — i'm vamshi, solo dev, no team. then a few friends tried it and said the same thing: it's the first time they felt like they were actually practicing under real conditions instead of performing for someone who wants them to do well.

still iterating on it (feedback modes, different question styles), but it's live at nxtinterview.com if this sounds like a problem you've run into too.

anyway — if mock interviews with people you know feel too soft, this might help. that's why i made it.