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

i was prepping for a backend role last year and asked three different friends to do mock interviews with me. every single one turned into 'yeah that sounds good' and then we'd just chat about their dog or whatever.

the problem wasn't that they didn't want to help — they did. but there's no structure when it's just two people on a zoom call. no one wants to be the harsh interviewer. no one wants to tell you that your answer was too vague or that you rambled for 4 minutes without hitting the actual question.

i needed real practice. the kind where someone (or something) would actually push back, ask follow-ups, and give me honest feedback on where i was weak. so i started building nxtinterview — basically a tool that runs mock interviews, pulls questions based on your resume or the role you're targeting, and gives you structured feedback afterward. no friendships ruined, no awkward silences.

i'm vamshi, i built this as a solo project because i got tired of wasting prep time on sessions that felt more like therapy than interview practice. it's live now at nxtinterview.com. still adding features, but the core loop works — you pick a role, it generates questions, you answer (text or voice), and it gives you feedback on what to tighten up.

if you've ever done a mock interview that turned into a catch-up session instead of actual drilling, you'll get why i made this.

full disclosure: i'm the founder. built it because i needed it, and figured others might too. if you're in the same boat, check it out.