Bridging the Gap: Why I Built Kitana, an AI Interview Coach for Testers

SQA ADMIN

Sun, 06 Sep 2026

Bridging the Gap: Why I Built Kitana, an AI Interview Coach for Testers

By Paballo Nkuna

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A few years ago, I got into software testing. I didn't go through a formal CS degree or a graduate programme. I was self-taught. I read everything I could find, watched countless tutorials, and spent late nights breaking things just to understand how they worked. And eventually, I landed my first role.

But here is what nobody warned me about: knowing how to test is one thing. Knowing how to get hired is another thing entirely.

The Problem No One Talks About

I started mentoring aspiring testers on the side, something I still do through SQA Ninja. And I noticed the same pattern repeating itself over and over again. Someone would complete a bootcamp, maybe even earn a certification. They would know their ISTQB inside out. They could write test cases, talk about Selenium, explain the difference between verification and validation. They had the knowledge.

Then they would walk into an interview and freeze.

Not because they did not know the material. But because nobody had ever trained them on how to communicate that knowledge under pressure. Nobody had sat them down and said: "Here is how a hiring manager thinks. Here is how you structure your answer. Here is what they are actually listening for."

Most bootcamps and courses do the teaching. They cover the syllabus. But they stop short of the thing that actually matters at the end of it all: getting you through the door and into your first job. That gap between learning and earning is real, and it is wide.

The Breaking Point

I tried to fill that gap myself. Every student who came through SQA Ninja, I would personally coach. We would do mock interviews. I would give feedback on what worked, what did not, how to say it better next time. Word spread, and more people started reaching out.

And here is the honest truth: I could not keep up.

Every student was dealing with different challenges. One was struggling with behavioural questions. Another could not articulate their technical experience. Someone else had the skills but froze the moment they heard "tell me about yourself." Each person needed individual attention, tailored feedback, and time. Lots of it. And I simply did not have enough hours in the day.

That is a difficult thing to admit. When people trust you with their careers, when they come to you because they believe you can help them change their lives, saying "I can't" feels like letting them down. I wrestled with that for a long time.

The Idea

Then it clicked. What if I took everything I knew, every piece of feedback I had ever given, every interview pattern I had observed, every technique that actually worked, and put it into something that could do the work alongside me? Something that could be available at 2 a.m. when someone was anxious before their morning interview. Something that would never get tired, never run out of time, and could adapt to each person's unique needs.

What if I built an AI interview coach?

The technology was there. Google Gemini had reached a point where it could hold natural, voice-based conversations. It could listen, respond, assess, and adapt. And I had years of real interview coaching data and experience to feed into it.

So I built Kitana.

What Kitana Actually Does

Kitana is not a chatbot that spits out generic interview tips. It is a voice-based AI interview coach that simulates a real interview experience. You talk. It listens. It responds, just like a human interviewer would.

Here is how it works:

A Personalised Curriculum. When you sign up, Kitana asks about your target role, your experience level, your career goals, and your skills. It reads your resume. Then it builds a four-week interview preparation programme specifically for you. Not a generic plan. Yours.

Real Voice Interviews. You put on headphones, and Kitana interviews you using its voice. It asks behavioural questions. It probes your technical knowledge. It challenges you on gaps in your resume, exactly like a real interviewer would. And because it understands context from your profile, the questions feel relevant, not random.

Detailed Feedback Reports. After every session, you get a full report. Your score. Your strengths. Where you stumbled. How you can improve. Specific, actionable feedback, the same kind I used to give in one-on-one sessions, except now it happens within minutes, any time of day.

Skills Tracking Over Time. Kitana tracks your progress across interviews. Your communication skills, your technical articulation, your confidence. You can see yourself improving, and that visible progress is incredibly motivating.

A Job Board for South Africans. Kitana integrates with real local job listings, so you can practice for roles that actually exist right now. It even generates relevant search keywords from your target role.

Keeping It Accessible

This was the part that mattered most to me. I did not build Kitana to create another expensive tool that only people with money could access. I built it because I know what it feels like to be on the outside, trying to break in, and not being able to afford hundreds or thousands in coaching fees.

Kitana has a free tier. You get three interviews a month, the first two weeks of your curriculum, one custom interview, and skills tracking. Enough to make real progress without paying a cent.

The Pro plan is R179 a month. Twelve interviews, the full curriculum, unlimited custom interviews, full reports with PDF downloads, and one-on-one AI coaching chat. I tried to price it at a point where it is genuinely affordable for most people, while still being sustainable to run.

If you can afford it, the Pro plan helps keep the free tier available for those who cannot. That was intentional. The people paying help the people who are still finding their feet.

Where We Are Now

Kitana is live. It has been running for a few months now, and seeing the feedback come in has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever experienced. People are walking into interviews more confident. They are getting offers. They are telling me that for the first time, they felt prepared, like they actually knew what they were doing.

That is the whole point. That is why I built this.

What This Is Really About

If you take one thing away from this, let it be this: the gap between what you know and your ability to communicate it in an interview is a skill in itself. And like any skill, it can be practiced. It can be learned. You do not need to be naturally charismatic or have years of experience. You just need to practice, repeatedly, with good feedback, in conditions that feel real.

That is what Kitana provides. A place to practice. A coach that is always available. Feedback that actually helps.

I built this because I needed it to exist. Because I could not personally coach everyone who asked. Because the gap between learning and earning should not be this wide.

And because every tester who has the skills deserves a fair shot at showing them.

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Try Kitana: it is free to start.

Paballo Nkuna is the founder of SQA Ninja and the creator of Kitana AI. He is a self-taught software tester passionate about making quality education and career preparation accessible to everyone.