How to Apply to OpenAI (2026): Step-by-Step

OpenAI is hiring at a scale most startups never reach: close to 800 open roles, the large majority in San Francisco and marked hybrid, with smaller clusters in Singapore, Tokyo, Washington DC, London, New York, Dublin, and Seattle. Listings live on openai.com/careers/search and applications go through Ashby (jobs.ashbyhq.com/openai), which asks a short set of questions and needs no account. OpenAI's interview guide is unusually specific about timing: about a week to hear back after each stage, and four to six hours of final interviews with four to six people over one or two days. The question that trips people up is whether you can work from the US office three days a week.

Where the OpenAI application lives

Official careers site: openai.com/careers. Applications run on Ashby.

• Open roles — Around 780 roles, most in San Francisco and tagged hybrid; Apply buttons open the Ashby board.
• Ashby job board — Where applications are submitted; also hosts the Emerging Talent community signup form.
• Residency — Six-month paid program for early researchers and builders; 2026 applications are closed and reopen on a rolling basis.
• Emerging talent — Internships and early-career roles, plus a talent community for updates and virtual Q&As.

Step by step: applying to OpenAI

1. Browse openai.com/careers/search by team and location, then click Apply now, which opens the role on jobs.ashbyhq.com/openai in a new tab.
2. Fill the Ashby form: legal name, optional preferred name, email, phone, resume, current location, and the date you could start.
3. Answer work authorization and sponsorship questions, and whether you can work from the US office three days per week, which is asked on San Francisco hybrid roles.
4. Acknowledge the applicant arbitration agreement and certify your answers, then submit. OpenAI says to expect feedback on your application within about a week.
5. Next is an introductory call with a recruiter or hiring manager about your background and motivation; OpenAI suggests reading its recent research and product posts relevant to the team first.
6. A skills-based assessment follows, varying by team: pair coding, a take-home project, or a technical test. OpenAI says whether AI tools are allowed depends on the specific interview.
7. Final interviews run four to six hours with four to six people over one or two days, virtual or onsite in San Francisco, with a decision within about a week.

What an Ashby application is like

• One page, no account: name, email, resume, optional links, then the employer's own screening questions, which can be substantial at smaller companies.
• Ashby does not parse your resume into fields; the short form is typed by hand.
• You receive a confirmation email and status updates by email only; there is no portal to check.
• Applications are per posting — applying to several roles at one company is expected, but each one is reviewed separately.

Tips from OpenAI applicants

• OpenAI says it is not credential-driven and looks for evidence you can ramp up in a new domain and produce results, so lead your resume with concrete outcomes rather than titles.
• Ask your recruiter which interviews permit AI tools. Some formats intentionally allow them and others are designed to measure independent problem-solving.
• Residency spots open and close on a rolling basis; if applications are closed, join the Emerging Talent community on Ashby and watch OpenAI's careers site for reopening.
• Residents must be in the San Francisco office at least three days a week, with relocation support offered, and most staff roles ask the same office question, so plan around that before applying.

How long the OpenAI process takes

OpenAI's interview guide sets expectations of roughly one week to hear back after the application, after the skills assessment, and after final interviews, with finals compressed into one or two days; candidates generally report the whole process taking several weeks depending on scheduling.

Before you hit submit

Two quick wins: check your resume against the posting with the resume keywords for your role, and attach a tailored letter — see the cover letter examples by role. Decide your answers to the standard screening questions once — see desired salary and work authorization — and keep a record in a tracker.

Apply faster

OpenAI applications run on Ashby, which JobRizzer autofills. Install the extension, open the OpenAI application, and JobRizzer fills the standard fields from your profile — you review every field and click submit yourself.