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With the end of Project Aether, the AI training world is going through a dry spell for generalists.
While it won’t have the massive headcount of Project Aether or Multimango, Mercor is rapidly onboarding for a valuable new opportunity that could fill the gap for many of you.
The role is a “Generalist SFT” (Supervised Fine-Tuning) project with a “leading AI lab”.
The Role: “Smart Generalist”
The basics of the job involve creating prompts and helping refine the AI’s output. You will likely be given thematic direction or asked to use your specific area of expertise.
Either way, the goal with these sorts of projects is always to push the AI to the edge of its knowledge and skill, and train it from there.
- The Pay: This is not a $15/hr data labeling job. The pay reflects the extra skill required: $35–$40/hr.
- The Commitment: You will be expected to do 10-40 hours per week on your own schedule.
- The Catch: They explicitly want recent grads or current students from a “Top 50 College.”
Location Requirements
I can’t tell yet whether there are explicit location requirements. Typically, Mercor hires first from the US, UK, Canada, and EU.
There doesn’t appear to be any specific mention that this is not the case, nor does it explicitly say that the project is open to applicants from other countries. If you are at a top university globally (e.g., Oxford, Toronto, Melbourne), it is worth applying.
The Application Process (Speed Run)
If you haven’t applied with Mercor before, here is a quick rundown. Mercor doesn’t use human recruiters for the first step. You need to beat the bot.
- The Resume Scan: Upload your PDF. Ensure your University Name and “Current Student” / “Graduate” status are clearly visible at the top.
- The Context Form: You will fill out a short form about your major. (STEM, Philosophy, and Literature majors often score highly here due to reasoning skills).
- The Sample Task: If you pass the scan, you get a “Take Home” task. This is usually a writing test. Take your time on this. Do not rush it. They are testing your “Taste”—your ability to tell a good AI response from a bad one.
My Verdict
If you fit the profile, this is arguably the best student job on the market right now.
- Pros: It pays 3x the minimum wage, looks impressive on a CV (“AI Alignment Researcher”), and is fully remote. If you are looking to get into one of Mercor’s high paying gigs ($100+) this will be a good entry point, potentially making entry into your next role a little easier.
- Cons: It is highly competitive. If you aren’t at a “Brand Name” school, you might get auto-rejected.