One phone interview. Never heard another word. Basic behavioral questions.
I was hesitant to even apply to this job but I did. Wish I hadn't wasted my time. In the job description, this sentence stood out to me:
"If you're not in the job market, you're exactly the type of person we're looking for."
That is incredibly telling. Thousands of people get laid off for no other reason than the corporation decides to cut heads. And, if those folks are looking for a job, don't bother here. Most companies give you all you need to know about their culture in their job descriptions and the interaction with interviewers. I should've gone with my gut and never applied. It's a sad state of affairs if a company looks down on hard working people who have been laid off. Toptal - if that isn't what you meant, delete that stupid sentence.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Toptal in Dec 2023
Interview
I recently went through the interview process at Toptal to join the core team.
I must commend the recruiting lead for her professionalism and transparency. Despite not securing the position, she offered to provide me feedback from the team and it was delivered with tact and understanding specifically after I invested significant time and effort over the holidays to complete a comprehensive project and video submission.
While I know my strategic and technical expertise are excellent and the JD basically describes me to the T, there were some assumptions and recommendations I made that conveyed otherwise as part of the asynch project I wasn’t able to discuss live with anyone. The video had to be <12 mins and there were a lot of asks to tackle which I guess is the point to see what you can handle.
Considering Toptal’s high standard of accepting only the top 3% of applicants who serve their client network, I expected no less for the core team and accept and respect their decision.
Of course I can’t help but feeling disappointed I won’t be moving forward.
The thoroughness of the process is undeniable, showcasing the company’s commitment to excellence. Although I won’t be moving forward this time, I genuinely enjoyed the experience and would welcome another opportunity in the future.
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Toptal
Interview
Very lengthy process with little value given to the applicant and their time.
A lot of following up for updates and very basic feedback given after very long assessments (avoidable and very time consuming). No appreciation for the efforts of applicants. The employers are unable to answer questions on the position and company both and bat you back and forth between staff. Interviewers could not seem to answer questions on how the organisation even works.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What culture values are you looking for?
What can you bring to this role?
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 days. I interviewed at Toptal (Los Angeles, CA)
Interview
They will schedule a call on zoom and ask open ended questions designed to get you to ask clarifying questions and align your answers with their “leadership principles.” There were so many red flags in my interview and I chose not to move forward. Their logo is questionable and they use it in a forceful way. The logo will be part of your zoom interview screen in such a way that it’s impossible not to notice the similarity to a WWII symbol, and I almost ended the interview after 5 minutes as a result of them making it overly prominent on the zoom. I’m talking HUGE version of it in the background, almost like an enormous flag. Their need to make their (questionably designed) logo such an important part of the interview is distracting and creepy.
