Hiring brief: junior AI-first operators
Hiring brief: junior AI-first operators
One page. Parent: e2e hiring. Reasoning: LTP report.
Why now
We hire ahead of need. When we hire because we need someone right now, they go straight onto a client project. We become dependent on them, and when they don't work out we can't let them go. Hiring now means every apprentice is a real test, and we decide keep-or-go on the merits.
What we're after
About 2 people kept, from 3–4 apprentices over 2–3 months. Each one owns at least one stage of the e2e cycle and grows across it. We're prospecting for diamonds in the rough: often outside the major European and US markets, and often outside traditional coding professions. With AI, anyone can now be a kind of coder or deliverer.
What good looks like
| trait | what we look for | how we see it early |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligent | learns fast, reasons clearly | reasoning test; the quality of their written answers |
| Interested | curious about data, AI and our clients, not only the gig | what they built on their own; their questions to us |
| Initiative | does the next thing without being asked | the paid task: did they go past the brief? |
| Coachable (preferred) | acts on feedback, and fast | give feedback on the task, then see the next version |
| AI-first | uses agents to do the labour, and checks the output | shows something they made with AI, and what they did versus the AI |
The main red flag: not delivering. We've kept people too long before and made excuses for them. We decide directly: a fixed date, stated criteria and two people assessing.
Two profiles, two adverts
| A. Outreach-first | B. Builder-first | |
|---|---|---|
| who | good at marketing, content, lead generation or sales; AI-oriented; hungry to build | codes or builds with AI; can communicate; has some design feel |
| example | Daniela | — |
| enters at | stage 2: pick targets, research, reach out (2.1–2.3) | stage 2a: PoC-led outreach, and 4a build (with a builder alongside) |
| aim by the end of the apprenticeship | level 2 in 2.1–2.3 for their own targets; level 1 in 2a | level 2 in 2a (PoCs alone, in the time box); level 1 in 2.3 |
| grows into | 2a and 4a: building with agents | 2.3–2.4 and 4b: running the client side |
Stages 2 and 2a are ideal first work. It's real work, but no client deadline depends on it, so apprentices stay off the critical path until we keep them.
Terms
- Upwork, hourly, with a weekly hour cap. Part-time is fine.
- Rate: $10–20/hr during the apprenticeship, mostly part-time. Negotiate down for a full-time offer.
- End-state cost: $1.5–2k a month per person, Upwork fees included.
- Apprenticeship: 10–12 weeks, with the decision date set on day one. See selection and apprenticeship.
- Owner: Anuar.
