Mercor

Who can join

• You must live in a location Mercor supports. Mercor publishes a list of locations where you cannot complete registration, receive an offer or start a contract (read 8 Nov 2026, it includes for example China, Russia, Kenya, Pakistan, Ukraine and Venezuela) and says the list is reviewed periodically.
• A mobile phone number from a carrier that can receive a verification code by SMS or WhatsApp. Phone verification is part of account onboarding, and VoIP or virtual numbers (such as Google Voice) are not accepted. You may hold only one Mercor account.
• A computer with a working camera and microphone (headphones and an external microphone recommended), a quiet room and a stable internet connection. The AI interview runs in the latest Google Chrome (recommended), Microsoft Edge or Safari; Firefox is not supported, and whether an interview works on a phone depends on the interview (some need a computer).
• A resume as a PDF that is OCR-friendly and text-based (not a scanned image), 1-2 pages, under 2 MB, with a simple layout (no images, tables or complex designs) and clear section headings such as Education, Experience, Skills and Certifications.
• Work authorization: verifying it is one of the standard steps in an application's checklist.
• Whatever expertise the role description asks for. Some roles require proven domain expertise (years of relevant experience or advanced technical knowledge), and when they do, the role description states it; every candidate for a role goes through the same assessment process.
• To work on a project (not to apply), a computer that runs the Insightful time-tracking desktop app: Windows 10 or later, or macOS 11 or later (Linux only through Insightful's Beta). Chromebooks, iPads and phones are not supported.

Step by step

1. 1

   Create your account

   Go to work.mercor.com/login, enter your email and select Sign up (or use the Google button). Mercor uses passwordless email verification: a verification email arrives when you sign up and a one-time login email each time you sign in. After verifying, onboarding has 3 steps in this order: your full legal name, email, LinkedIn (or 'I don't have one') and resume (or 'I don't have a resume' when that option is shown); your work authorization; and phone verification by SMS or WhatsApp code.

2. 2

   Build your profile

   Open your profile and upload your resume as a PDF; Mercor parses it to pre-fill your roles, skills and education, so review and fix what the parser missed. Required: full legal name, email, phone number and LinkedIn (or select that you don't have one) on the Resume tab, and your city and country on the Location & work authorization tab. Then set your availability (start date, time zone, weekly hours) and keep each role to 3-5 outcome-led bullet points with measurable results.

3. 3

   Find and apply to a listing

   Click 'Explore' in the left sidebar, search by title or keyword and filter by Job fit, Trending, Newest or Most pay. Select a listing and click 'Apply Now' to see its checklist: typically upload your resume, complete the required assessments and verify your work authorization (steps vary by role). Progress saves automatically, but listings can close at any time, so act promptly. Mercor does not accept applications by sending a resume directly; select roles also take LinkedIn Easy Apply, which leads back to Mercor to finish.

4. 4

   Complete role assessments

   Besides forms and AI interviews, some roles include a cognitive or task-based assessment. Most assessments allow only a single submission, so review before you submit. Most have no strict time limit, but a timed one cannot be paused once started. Do not use AI or LLM tools to write answers unless the assessment says you may. Many assessments are reused across listings, and you can also take recommended assessments from the Assessments tab: passing one gets you considered for new roles that use it, even without a traditional application.

5. 5

   Do the AI video interview

   If the role requires it, complete the AI video interview from the application's step list. Most take about 20 minutes (some are shorter or longer) and are in English unless stated otherwise. Use the latest Chrome (Edge and Safari also supported) with camera and mic on, and complete the waiting room's setup checks. Take the free practice interview first. You can retake an official interview up to three times across all applications related to it (Mercor's newer application page says the number of retakes is set for each interview and can vary), and each unique interview is completed once and carries over to other applications.

6. 6

   Submit and await review

   When every step is done, click Submit. The confirmation screen shows your submission along with the anticipated timeline, and Mercor emails you once a final decision is made (its apply page, read 8 Nov 2026, states no fixed number of weeks). A submitted application cannot be withdrawn, and Mercor does not share specific feedback on rejections.

7. 7

   Get matched to an offer

   Offers come from project teams. When your verified interviews, assessments, skills and availability match a listing's criteria, Mercor's matching system can also mark you as prequalified, and a hiring team may send you an Instant Offer for a role you did not apply to. Offers are non-exclusive and expire at a deadline shown in the offer email and on your dashboard.

8. 8

   Accept the offer and onboard

   Sign the offer letter first (it unlocks the rest), then the Worker Agreement (Terms of Work), the CIIAA and your tax form (W-9 or W-8BEN). Before signing the first document you tick 'I confirm my profile is up to date'. Verification includes ID verification with Persona (a government ID and a selfie video, finished on your phone), a background check, work authorization where applicable and phone verification. The Persona check is mandatory and in most cases repeated for each new offer. The background check form is to be completed within 48 hours; the check typically takes one to two weeks, and you must be cleared before working or logging hours, though you may be able to finish onboarding while it runs. Then set up Insightful time tracking and payments (Stripe by default, Wise in certain regions).

Tips to get accepted

• Always run the free practice interview before your first real one. It can be taken as many times as you like and does not affect future opportunities, so it removes the surprise factor without spending an official retake.
• Make the first official attempt count. Only your most recent attempt is evaluated for an application, retaking an interview resets your application progress, and applications you already submitted keep the attempt they were submitted with: a retake counts only for the applications you submit after it.
• Read your resume as the interviewer will: Mercor says its AI interviewer generates questions based on your resume and the job description, so be ready to talk in detail about every tool, result and title on it.
• Use the Assessments tab, not only listings. Mercor says completing assessments is often the fastest path to being considered for work, and passing a recommended assessment puts you in consideration for new roles that use it even without applying.
• Keep your profile offer-ready: a current resume, accurate location and work authorization, up-to-date availability and completed assessments are what Mercor's matching uses to send Instant Offers. Apply manually too, and answer offers before their expiry deadline.
• If you get more than one paid work trial offer, choose before accepting: Mercor pays each person for only one work trial, and accepting one does not cancel the others.
• Third-party coaching advice (AceRound, not Mercor): AceRound advises answering in 60 to 90 seconds with a clear result, says answers over three minutes read as poor communication and invite interruptions, and that describing what 'we' did hides the part the interviewer needs. Prepare five specific stories from your resume, with real numbers.
• Third-party coaching advice (AceRound, not Mercor): match your prep to your track. AceRound says domain-expert interviews go deep into your field, engineering candidates report a system design or code-review segment, and generalist and data projects usually set an undergraduate-level bar focused on precision, instruction-following and communication. Do not use terms you cannot explain when probed: the follow-ups test them.
• Expect no feedback on a rejection: Mercor says it cannot share specific feedback because of the volume of applications. Keep applying to new opportunities as they open on the Explore page.
• US contractors: the IRS reporting threshold for Form 1099-NEC is $2,000 for payments made after 31 Dec 2025 (it was $600 for earlier payments).