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

every time i'd ask a friend to grill me for an interview, we'd start strong then drift into catching up or them going easy on me. by minute 10 it wasn't practice anymore.

i was prepping for a pm role last year and kept trying to do mock interviews with people i knew. they'd agree to help, we'd schedule it, then halfway through they'd either soften the questions because they felt awkward being harsh, or we'd just end up talking about their day. i'd walk away feeling like i practiced nothing.

the problem wasn't them — it's just hard to stay in role when you're talking to someone you know. but i needed real pressure. the kind where someone asks a hard question, waits through the silence, and actually tells you when your answer was weak.

i tried recording myself and reviewing it but couldn't stay disciplined. paid mock interview services felt too expensive to use regularly. so i started building something for myself — an AI interviewer that wouldn't go easy on me, would ask follow-ups if i was vague, and would give me honest feedback after.

that became nxtinterview. i use it before any real interview now. it pulls questions based on the role, lets me upload my resume so it asks relevant stuff, and doesn't let me off the hook when i ramble. the feedback's been the most useful part — it points out filler words, weak structure, places where i dodged the question.

still working on it as a side project. if you've had the same problem with mock interviews feeling too soft or inconsistent, might be worth trying. not trying to sell anyone, just sharing what worked for me after burning too many evenings on practice that didn't actually prepare me.

you can check it out at nxtinterview.com if you're curious. happy to answer questions about how it works or why i built certain features the way i did.