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If you’ve been freelancing for a while, it’s possible you’ll be questioning what comes after mid-level gigs and impartial referral jobs. How one can take your expertise to the subsequent degree and work with world-class firms in enthusiastic groups on the slicing fringe of your business? That’s the place Toptal is available in – and invitations you to use to their unique platform in case you’ve acquired the suitable stuff.
What Is Toptal?
Toptal has a reasonably simple mission: they gather and supply a platform for the highest 3% of freelance expertise on-line, and join that expertise with among the largest firms on the planet – firms like HP, Airbnb, Zendesk, Pfizer, and extra. They’re particularly in style within the tech firm sector, closely recruiting high builders and designers along with finance specialists, mission managers, software program builders, product managers, and so on.
They’re a scorching Silicon Valley startup pulling in over $100 million {dollars} in annual income, all based mostly on that worth proposition of assuring their company shoppers that they’re working with the very best of the very best. They contemplate their distributed workforce to be one of many defining pillars of their company tradition – their worth relies on the energy of their freelancers, so that they spend money on their distant staff with versatile scheduling and pay apparently commensurate with that supplied by native recruiters.
What Form of Jobs Can You Discover with Toptal?
Toptal hires freelancers from all kinds of industries to affix their steady of distant staff able to go for his or her shoppers. You’ll discover 5 predominant industries listed on Toptal’s entrance web page: Builders, Designers, UX Designers, Finance Consultants, Venture Managers, and Product Managers. Take into account that only the start, nevertheless – whether or not your expertise is in customer support, writing, and enhancing, or gross sales, Toptal has a spot for you.
As I discussed beforehand, they work extensively with tech firms, which is nice for you if in case you have programming experience. Among the just lately posted full-time positions on Flexjobs embrace Again Finish Engineer, Knowledge Engineer, Entrance Finish Developer, and Knowledge Scientist – whether or not you take pleasure in coding in Ruby on Rails, working with Python, or growing net experiences, there’s rewarding work to be discovered with Toptal.
In case you have no tech-oriented expertise, no drawback! Toptal additionally often hires expertise in lots of the commonest distant work industries – simply take a look at among the different job listings they’ve listed on Flexjobs as of this writing: Gross sales Marketing consultant, Editor, Expertise Sourcer, Communications Specialist, and Shopper Associate. In case you have that administrative expertise widespread to many digital assistants, there’s give you the results you want at Toptal – particularly in case you are expert in communication, being some extent of contact for shoppers, and have some administration expertise. To not point out the alternatives out there to you self-starters with unimaginable analysis and analytical expertise who can work with executives (this goes out to you editors and writers).
Don’t restrict your self to Toptal’s freelancing platform, both – their Careers web page affords many of those alternatives listed above.
What Does Toptal Pay?
There isn’t any official phrase from Toptal on how a lot they pay their freelancers, so I can’t provide you with actual data on that entrance. Nevertheless, doing a little analysis via even handed Googling and checking Glassdoor means that Toptal’s wages appear to common out round $30 per hour. This varies relying in your freelance place with them – it’s possible you’ll be paid kind of relying on whether or not you’re a coder or a salesman or an editor. The overall buzz round their pay charges appears optimistic, although – that’s what you get for being the very best of the very best.
Necessities for Working with Toptal
The necessities for working with Toptal all depend upon the place you’re making use of for – however they’re all widespread sense necessities which you could predict based mostly on the place. In the event you’re a coder, you must have expertise coding, maybe certification or coaching, and the power to exhibit your expertise. In the event you’re a product supervisor, you’ll be anticipated to have product administration expertise and demonstrable proof of your expertise. As an professional in your given business, you little question have what you must qualify.
You’ll additionally want entry to all of the instruments required for a distant place of any sort. You need to have entry to a non-public laptop or laptop computer (whether or not PC or Mac) together with high-speed Web entry. You might want entry to quite a lot of software program functions from coding platforms to phrase processors to shared workspaces like Google Drive or Slack. You’ll additionally need to have a cushty and quiet house to work in whereas freelancing with them.
The best way to Apply for Toptal
From the entrance web page, hit the inexperienced “Apply As A Freelancer” button. You’ll be taken to a kind the place you may choose what sort of freelancer you’re from their 5 predominant industries (Builders, Designers, Finance Consultants, Venture Managers, and Product Managers). You’ll additionally present your identify and electronic mail tackle and register with Toptal to proceed.
If you submit your kind, you should comply with the next: “I acknowledge that the Toptal screening course of is confidential and that I can’t publicly disclose particulars about this course of.” This can be why software particulars are scarce aside from those that’ve efficiently been employed by Toptal, however it could possibly additionally imply they’ve a rigorous screening course of.
From studying accounts of other people who’ve utilized with Toptal, I can briefly define the remainder of the method for you: in case you make it via their screening course of, you’ll be invited to a brief, preliminary Skype chat. This name is to evaluate your match with the corporate in addition to your English-speaking expertise. In the event you progress previous this level, it’s possible you’ll be examined on the talents you state you may have – so, in case you’re a coder, it’s possible you’ll be requested to finish a timed coding train. There could also be one other demonstration of expertise required after that, this time with stay participation from a Toptal recruiter. Make it via, and you would develop into a part of the highest 3% of freelancers.
In the event you’re in search of a profession as a Toptal worker slightly than as a freelancer, take a look at their Careers web page as I discussed above – the roles listed there often have an software kind embedded proper into the itemizing.
What Folks Are Saying About Toptal
With over 1,100 critiques on Glassdoor, Toptal has a 3.8 star ranking, with over 68% of reviewers saying they’d advocate working with Toptal to a buddy.
Many of the optimistic critiques spotlight the identical features of working with them: first, you actually are working with high expertise while you develop into a freelancer with Toptal. A number of folks point out feeling impressed every single day to do their finest work and degree up their expertise due to the opposite enthusiastic professionals from across the globe on their groups. You’ll additionally discover Toptal praised for standing behind their values and customarily treating their staff with respect. And, after all, folks love the truth that it’s distant work so you may work from anyplace you want.
The negatives are likely to share some related tales as properly – you’ll discover a number of folks saying Toptal has a poor work-life stability and expects your availability on name. It additionally looks as if Toptal’s invitation to offer trustworthy suggestions to administration throughout group calls will not be one thing they really need their distant staff to do, with a number of folks mentioning poor reception and perceived retaliation after they have accomplished so. You’ll additionally discover some folks point out problem and loneliness within the transition to working from dwelling – however all of you seasoned freelancers have that one within the bag!
What do you suppose? Will you apply with Toptal? It feels like an thrilling alternative in case you’ve acquired the talents they’re in search of, and it’s a severe plus to have the ability to introduce your self as a part of the “high 3%” of freelancers. Give it a go and apply – then come again and inform us the way it goes!