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

every time i asked a friend to help me prep for an interview, we'd start strong for maybe 10 minutes, then drift into catching up or laughing about old stuff. never got the honest pressure i actually needed.

i was prepping for a senior engineer role last year and kept setting up mock interviews with people i trusted. same thing every time — we'd get through two behavioral questions, then someone would crack a joke or ask how my weekend was, and suddenly we're just hanging out instead of simulating real interview conditions.

the problem wasn't them. it was that there's no stakes when you're talking to a friend. they don't want to make you uncomfortable. they skip the awkward pauses. they let you ramble without cutting you off. all the stuff that actually happens in a real interview.

i needed something that would stay neutral, ask follow-ups, and give me real feedback without worrying about my feelings. so i built it myself — nxtinterview. you upload your resume, pick the role you're interviewing for, and it runs you through questions tailored to your background. asks follow-ups if you're vague. times your answers. gives you a breakdown of what worked and what didn't.

it's not perfect, but it's consistent. doesn't let me off easy. i used it for my own prep and it surfaced gaps i didn't know i had — stuff about system design tradeoffs and how i explained past decisions under pressure.

full disclosure: i'm vamshi, i built this as a solo project. still working on it, still using it myself. if you've ever had the same problem with mock interviews turning into therapy sessions or small talk, it might help.

you can try it at nxtinterview.com if you want something that stays on task better than your friends do.