AI Interview Readiness Checklist

Connect to reliable high-speed Wi-Fi or ethernet and keep charger connected so your device doesn't enter power-saver throttling mid-interview.

Ensure zero background chatter and face a window or front desk lamp so the interviewer can see you clearly.

Close secondary tabs, Discord, Slack, Grammarly, and Loom to prevent background popups or anti-cheat screen flag triggers.

Elevate laptop on a stand or books so your eye contact is locked directly onto the camera lens rather than looking down at screen corners.

Review your project dates and technical metrics prior to launch, then close all files to maintain 100% natural conversational presence.

Have your core technical situation-action scenarios and 3 quantified impact metrics (e.g. 35% speedup, 500+ weekly jobs) top-of-mind.

Keep a professional bridge phrase ready ("Let me walk you through that," "There are two parts to how I architected this") instead of leaving dead silence.

Check the schedule and hours listed on the role card before applying. If a role specifies 20 hrs/wk, setting your profile to 10 hours can filter your application out of consideration. Align your profile availability with the role's required hours, but only if you can actually commit to working them once placed.

Partially filled profiles get deprioritized in hiring manager reviews (HMR). Complete all portfolio links, resume parsing, and baseline questions in your first session.

When matched to a project wave, claim and submit your initial task right away. Accounts with 0 tasks completed risk having their seat reassigned to standby evaluators.

Check whether the role requires US residency (W-9) or accepts International contractors (W-8BEN). Both platforms disburse earnings via Deel; verify your documents early.

Mercor does not support mobile browsers. Full-screen sharing is required throughout the assessment.

Chrome provides the most reliable WebRTC audio/video and screen share pipelines. Google Chrome is strongly recommended for optimal screening stability.

Built-in laptop microphones pick up room echo and keyboard clicks, confusing automated speech-to-text parsers. Use wired headphones with a mic.

Close streaming apps, VPNs, downloads, and heavy background tabs before starting to prevent video stutter or audio drops.

Position light or a window directly in front of your face. Windows behind you cast you in shadow and trigger automated lighting warnings.

Notify household members and close windows. AI screeners penalize background human voices as potential collaboration or cheating.

Mute phone, silence computer Slack/Discord notifications, and close secondary communication windows.

Mercor offers practice interviews on its platform that are not shared with hiring managers. Test your audio and pacing there before your screening.

Official screening interviews attach directly to your candidate profile for client evaluation. Complete a practice interview first to make sure your setup and pacing are solid.

On micro1, specialize your profile in one primary tech stack or evaluation domain. Use the micro1 prep tool to familiarize yourself with Zara's evaluation rubrics.

Responses under 30 seconds lack sufficient keyword signals for the transcription scorer. Responses over 2 minutes risk rambling. Aim for 70–120 words per question.

State the challenge (10s), your assigned task (10s), the exact actions you owned (30s), and end with a quantified, measurable outcome (15s).

Have numbers ready: % reduction in latency, dollars saved, patient volumes handled, or accuracy benchmarks achieved. AI screeners weight concrete metrics heavily.

Eye-tracking algorithms flag candidates reading pre-written notes on secondary screens. Natural pauses and eye contact with the webcam build credibility.