Your First Steps on Outlier: What to Expect from Onboarding

Why the Outlier application process is unique

Outlier's application process is designed around one goal: connecting you with projects where you'll genuinely succeed and earn well.

"The system intelligently analyzes your verified skills and matches you with projects where you're most likely to succeed," explains Corey. "Contributors only see projects that match their verified capabilities, which means higher success rates and better earnings."

This creates what Corey calls a "performance snowball effect" – early success leads to better opportunities, higher marketplace rankings, and access to premium projects.

Ready to see how it works? Start your application →

Outlier application timeline: what to expect

Here's the realistic timeline Corey gives new applicants:

• Resume and profile setup: 10-15 minutes

• Skill selection and screening: 15-30 minutes

• ID verification: 5-10 minutes (processing may take 1-2 days)

"If everything goes smoothly, you're looking at 30 minutes to an hour of active work," Corey says. "Even with verification processing, you should have access to projects within 1-2 days maximum."

"If everything goes smoothly, you're looking at 30 minutes to an hour of active work," Corey says. "Even with verification processing, you should have access to projects within 1-2 days maximum."

How Outlier matches you with projects

Comprehensive skill detection

 When you upload your resume, our system automatically:

• Extracts relevant skills from your work experience

• Cross-references with LinkedIn for credibility (just like employers do)

• Validates technical skills through GitHub, Google Scholar, or academic email

• Verifies advanced credentials like PhD publications through third-party lookups

"The goal is building a comprehensive profile to match you with projects where you'll actually succeed," Corey explains.

Two-step skill verification

Skill selection builds your profile by gathering your capabilities. Verification confirms your abilities through brief video assessments.

Corey's crucial advice: "Choose a maximum of 10 skills, and only pick ones you're truly comfortable working with today. The screening will verify your abilities, so authentic expertise always performs better than inflated claims."

ID verification (and how to breeze through it)

"Identity verification is necessary because Outlier represents a real working relationship with actual payments involved," Corey explains. "We need verified individuals to maintain trust with our enterprise customers and comply with financial regulations."

We use Persona, the same identity verification service trusted by major financial companies. It's sophisticated enough to detect fraudulent documents and understand international ID formats.

Requirements for smooth verification:

• Must be 18+ years old

• No existing Outlier account

• Non-expired ID from your working country

• Well-lit, clearly legible photos

• Correctly specify your ID type

Accepted documents vary by country but generally include: driver's licenses, state IDs, passports, permanent resident cards, employment authorization cards, and Sharecode for UK residents.

After approval: what projects you’ll see

The marketplace system connects you with projects perfectly matched to your verified skills. "Contributors only see projects which match their verified capabilities," Corey explains. "This creates higher success rates and access to premium opportunities."

Business demand ebbs and flows based on customer needs. Verified skill screenings provide strong qualification signals – contributors with passed screenings see much more consistent project flow.

Meet the engineer who built Outlier’s onboarding system

Corey designed the onboarding system that's processed hundreds of thousands of applications, connecting talented people worldwide with projects that match their expertise. When he's not building user experiences, you'll find him cycling, playing video games, or listening to EDM. 

Top tips to succeed with your Outlier application

Corey's recommendations:

• Keep your resume current and connect your LinkedIn profile

• Choose quality over quantity: Focus on your strongest 5-10 skills

• Take screenings you're genuinely best at—show real understanding, not memorized answers

• Be patient with ID verification—even engineers need multiple attempts

Use support resources—contact support@outlier.ai when stuck.

Ready to join thousands of contributors earning with projects that match their expertise? Your onboarding journey starts with a single click.