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

i kept asking friends to help me prep for interviews and they'd start tough but 5 minutes in we'd be talking about weekend plans or they'd go way too easy on me because they didn't want to be harsh.

happened like 4 times in a row when i was prepping for a backend role last year. i'd schedule a mock with someone, they'd agree to grill me, and then halfway through a behavioral question they'd laugh and say "you're fine, you've got this" instead of actually pushing back on my vague answers.

the problem wasn't them. it's just awkward to be brutally honest with someone you know. and i needed brutal honesty — i was bombing real interviews because i'd ramble or freeze on follow-ups.

so i built NxtInterview for myself. it's a tool that runs mock interviews based on your resume and the role you're targeting. asks follow-ups when your answer is weak. doesn't let you off the hook. gives you written feedback after on what you actually said vs what you should've tightened up.

i've been using it for my own prep and it's the first time i've felt like i'm actually rehearsing under pressure instead of just talking through answers with someone who's being nice.

still working on it (solo founder, nights and weekends), but it's live at nxtinterview.com if anyone else has the same problem with friends being too friendly during practice.

full disclosure: i'm the one who built this. not trying to sell you, just sharing what i made to solve my own problem. if mock interviews with real people stress you out or never feel real enough, might be worth a look.