Generalist (Macbook User)

$50–60/hrrate as listed

Mercor is staffing a research project with a frontier AI lab that requires contributors to work on an Apple Silicon MacBook (M-series, macOS 15+). You'll write research questions, model answers, and evaluation materials used to benchmark and improve language models, roughly 10–20 hours per week at an observed $50–60/hr.

Summary, eligibility guidance and screening preparation are prepared by Sidequest from the platform's posting. Check the source listing before applying.

What the work involves

This is a generalist research-and-writing role, not a coding role. Day to day you'll be handed prompts or topic areas and asked to produce material that stresses a model in useful ways: well-scoped research questions, carefully sourced reference answers, and rubrics or notes explaining why one response is better than another. Much of it is online research — finding primary sources, reconciling conflicting information, and summarizing it cleanly enough that another reviewer can verify your reasoning without redoing your work.

The hard-gated requirement is the machine. Tasks run in tooling that only works on Apple Silicon (M-series MacBook Pro or MacBook Air on macOS 15 or higher). Intel Macs, Windows, and Linux are not workarounds here; applicants without the right device are filtered out regardless of background.

What the platform screens for

Mercor's pipeline is resume, then a roughly 15-minute AI-led interview, then a short paid assessment. The interview probes research and reasoning: expect to be asked how you'd approach an unfamiliar topic, how you verify a claim, and how you'd write a question that a strong model would plausibly get wrong. The screen rewards specificity — named sources, actual methods, concrete past projects — over general statements about being detail-oriented. Written clarity carries most of the weight in the paid assessment.

Logistics

Fully remote and largely asynchronous, with deadlines per task batch rather than fixed shifts
Roughly 10–20 hours per week, part-time; immediate start preferred
Pay observed in the $50–60/hr range for this listing; rates are set per project and not guaranteed
Eligibility: current or recent Master's students, or 2–3 years of relevant experience with a Bachelor's; interdisciplinary backgrounds are a plus

What they look for

Apple Silicon MacBook (M-series, macOS 15+)
Master's-level study or 2–3 years relevant professional experience
Strong online research and source verification
Excellent written communication and summarization
Ability to structure questions, answers, and evaluation rubrics
Interdisciplinary or cross-domain academic background (nice to have)

Before you apply

Would you pass this screen?

Drawn from what this listing actually requires. Answered in your browser — nothing is sent to us, and we do not store your answers.

Do you own a Macbook with an Apple Silicon (M-series) chip running macOS 15 or higher?
Macbook with M-series chip · required
Are you currently enrolled in or have you completed a Master's degree, or do you have a Bachelor's degree from a prestigious institution plus 2–3 years of relevant experience?
Educational qualification · required
Do you hold a degree or have demonstrated professional experience in a STEM field, non-STEM field, or are you currently pursuing postgraduate studies?
STEM or non-STEM background · preferred

0 of 3 answered

Included with this listing

Interview prep — 10 questions

Matched to what this platform's screening actually measures. Answer each out loud in 60–90 seconds: claim → concrete example → implication.

What it tests: Whether you can locate, evaluate, and integrate diverse information sources into a coherent narrative—the core of creating training data for language models.
A strong answer: Name a specific project (academic, professional, or self-directed), identify at least two distinct source types you consulted, and explain the structure or framework you used to make sense of conflicting or overlapping information.
Where people lose it: Naming a project but staying vague about sources ('I just researched online') or describing a linear summary rather than synthesis—the role requires active integration of competing ideas, not passive collection.