You passed the AI interview. Maybe you got a nice email. Then nothing. No project, no hours, no reply. This is the most common complaint in AI training work, and it's usually not about you.
Here's why it happens, what you can actually do about it, and when to move on.
Why passing doesn't mean working
On most platforms, passing the screening puts you in a pool. It doesn't put you on a project. Work only arrives when a client project needs someone with your background, in your language, in your country, at that moment.
micro1 says this plainly on its own expert page: certification doesn't guarantee immediate placement. The same is true elsewhere.
A few common reasons you're waiting:
- The project you applied for filled up. Listings stay visible after the seats are taken.
- The project paused or ended. Client demand moves fast. A project can stop with little notice.
- Your profile doesn't match the next project. Matching is done from what's on your profile, not what you said in the interview.
- Location. Some listings only take people in certain countries. Our research found that on Mercor, a listing that names no location is treated as open only to the US, Canada, the UK or the EU.
- Timing. Some reviews report waits of a couple of weeks; others report much longer. We haven't seen a platform publish an official waiting time, so treat any number you read as a guess.
What to do in the first week
- Finish every onboarding step. ID verification, tax forms, payout setup. On Mercor, for example, its docs say ID verification is required before you can be onboarded to a project. An unfinished step can block you silently.
- Fill in your profile completely. List your degree and field exactly as they are. Add every language you can work in. Add specific skills: "pharmacology", "Python and SQL", "UK contract law". Vague profiles don't match.
- Check your email and spam folder. Offers and onboarding steps often arrive by email and can expire.
- Read any message about hours or availability. Some platforms ask how many hours you can give each week. Answer honestly and keep it up to date.
What to do in weeks two to four
Apply to a second role. This is the single most useful thing you can do. Don't wait on one pool. Apply to another role that is hiring now, on the same platform or a different one. Our tracker shows which platforms are adding roles this week.
Reuse your interview where you can. Mercor's docs say each AI interview only has to be done once: if another application uses the same interview, your result carries over. So a second application can take minutes, not an hour.
Retake only if it was weak. Mercor lets you retake an official AI interview up to three times, and it offers a free practice interview that doesn't count. If you rushed it, a retake may help. If it went fine, a retake won't fix a full project.
Keep your profile fresh. Mercor describes "instant offers": when your interview results, assessments, skills and availability match a listing, your profile can be shown to the hiring team as prequalified. Accurate, detailed profiles are what make that happen.
What not to do
- Don't pay anyone to "speed up" your placement. No real platform sells faster access. That's a scam. Read how to spot a remote AI job scam.
- Don't spam support. One polite message after a couple of weeks is fine. Ten messages won't create a project.
- Don't make a second account. Platforms treat multiple accounts as a serious violation. Mercor's conduct policy lists it specifically, and it can get you removed.
- Don't use a VPN to look like you're somewhere else. Several platforms ban it, and it can cost you any unpaid earnings.
When you do get a project
Getting the first project is half of it. Keeping it is the other half.
- Read the guidelines twice. Most projects come with long instructions. Quality reviewers check your work against them.
- Don't use AI to do the work for you. Platforms check for this. Mercor's conduct policy names misuse of AI tools as something it reviews.
- Expect monitoring. Some platforms use time-tracking software that takes screenshots while the timer runs. Mercor's docs say its tool, Insightful, takes a few screenshots an hour.
- Expect it to end. Projects finish, sometimes suddenly. Keep applying to other roles even while you're busy.
When to move on
If a month has passed, your profile is complete and you've applied to two or three live roles with no project, it's reasonable to put your effort into another platform. It doesn't mean you failed. It usually means there's no demand for your exact profile there right now.
Some honest signs a platform isn't right for you at the moment:
- Its listings for your field are all old.
- Its roles in your field are restricted to other countries.
- You keep passing screenings but never see a project.
Our platform pages cover what each one hires for, so you can pick the next one by fit rather than by guesswork.
The short version
Passing is the start, not the finish. Complete every onboarding step, make your profile specific, and always have a second application going. Then pick a role that's hiring now from the job list.
Some Apply links are referral links: we get a bonus if you're hired, it costs you nothing and the application is the same.