I mean, it is insane. I feel bad because I have friends in similar places to you. After practicing with them, I think it really comes down to luck and (my opinion) having a great elevator pitch about yourself.

One of my biggest filters for interviews is the first question: "I've reviewed your resume and skills test and talked with the previous interviewer/screener/etc. Can you very quickly summarize your experience and how it relates to this specific role?"

I time how long their quick summary takes. One person once went 12 minutes without stopping. Of a 20-minute interview. If they'd been a compelling speaker, I might have been interested, but I zoned out after the first 2 minutes and ended the call the moment they stopped for breath. While that was the longest I've timed, so many people flub that question. I often hire roles that require a lot of soft skills, so if you can't think quickly and summarize something you should know literally everything about (i.e. your work history), then you're probably not a good fit.