While 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 following 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 when you’ve bought the precise stuff.
What Is Toptal?
Toptal has a fairly simple mission: they accumulate and supply a platform for the highest 3% of freelance expertise on-line, and join that expertise with a few of the greatest firms on the earth – firms like HP, Airbnb, Zendesk, Pfizer, and extra. They’re particularly well-liked within the tech firm sector, closely recruiting high builders and designers along with finance specialists, undertaking managers, software program builders, product managers, and so forth.
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 purchasers that they’re working with the most effective of the most effective. They think about their distributed workforce to be one of many defining pillars of their company tradition – their worth relies on the energy of their freelancers, in order that they put money into their distant staff with versatile scheduling and pay apparently commensurate with that supplied by native recruiters.
What Sort of Jobs Can You Discover with Toptal?
Toptal hires freelancers from all kinds of industries to hitch their secure of distant staff able to go for his or her purchasers. You’ll discover 5 essential industries listed on Toptal’s entrance web page: Builders, Designers, Finance Specialists, Undertaking Managers, and Product Managers. Contemplate that only the start, nevertheless – whether or not your expertise is in customer support, writing, and modifying, or gross sales, Toptal has a spot for you.
As I discussed beforehand, they work extensively with tech firms, which is nice for you you probably have programming experience. A few of the not too long ago posted full-time positions on Flexjobs embody Again Finish Engineer, Knowledge Engineer, Entrance Finish Developer, and Knowledge Scientist – whether or not you get pleasure from coding in Ruby on Rails, working with Python, or creating net experiences, there’s rewarding work to be discovered with Toptal.
In case you have no tech-oriented expertise, no drawback! Toptal additionally recurrently hires expertise in lots of the commonest distant work industries – simply take a look at a few of the different job listings they’ve listed on Flexjobs as of this writing: Gross sales Guide, Editor, Expertise Sourcer, Communications Specialist, and Consumer Accomplice. In case you have that administrative expertise frequent to many digital assistants, there’s be just right for you at Toptal – particularly in case you are expert in communication, being a degree of contact for purchasers, 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 gives many of those alternatives listed above.
What Does Toptal Pay?
There isn’t a official phrase from Toptal on how a lot they pay their freelancers, so I can’t provide you with precise info on that entrance. Nevertheless, doing some research 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 final buzz round their pay charges appears constructive, although – that’s what you get for being the most effective of the most effective.
Necessities for Working with Toptal
The necessities for working with Toptal all rely on the place you’re making use of for – however they’re all frequent sense necessities that you may predict based mostly on the place. Should you’re a coder, it’s good to have expertise coding, maybe certification or coaching, and the power to exhibit your expertise. Should you’re a product supervisor, you’ll be anticipated to have product administration expertise and demonstrable proof of your expertise. As an skilled in your given business, you little doubt have what it’s good to qualify.
You’ll additionally want entry to all of the instruments required for a distant place of any kind. You must have entry to a personal laptop or laptop computer (whether or not PC or Mac) together with high-speed Web entry. It’s possible you’ll 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 snug and quiet area to work in whereas freelancing with them.
Tips on how 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’ll be able to choose what sort of freelancer you’re from their 5 essential industries (Builders, Designers, Finance Specialists, Undertaking Managers, and Product Managers). You’ll additionally present your title, and electronic mail deal with, and register with Toptal to proceed.
While you submit your kind, you could conform to the next: “I acknowledge that the Toptal screening course of is confidential and that I cannot publicly disclose particulars about this course of.” This can be why utility particulars are scarce aside from those that’ve efficiently been employed by Toptal however that can also imply they’ve a rigorous screening course of.
From studying accounts of people who’ve utilized with Toptal, I can briefly define the remainder of the method for you: when 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. Should you progress previous this level, it’s possible you’ll be examined on the abilities you state you’ve got – so, when 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 dwell participation from a Toptal recruiter. Make it via and you might develop into a part of the highest 3% of freelancers.
Should you’re searching for a profession as a Toptal worker relatively than as a freelancer, take a look at their Careers web page as I discussed above – the roles listed there normally have an utility kind embedded proper into the itemizing.
What Individuals Are Saying About Toptal
With 150 opinions on Glassdoor, Toptal is rocking a fairly strong 4.1 stars, with over 76% of reviewers saying they’d advocate working with Toptal to a good friend.
Many of the constructive opinions spotlight the identical points of working with them: first, you really are working with high expertise once you develop into a freelancer with Toptal. A number of individuals point out feeling impressed every single day to do their greatest 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, in fact, individuals love the truth that it’s distant work so you’ll be able to work from anyplace you would like.
The negatives are likely to share some comparable tales as nicely – you’ll discover a number of individuals saying Toptal has a poor work-life stability and expects your availability on name. It additionally looks like Toptal’s invitation to offer sincere suggestions to administration throughout workforce calls will not be one thing they really need their distant staff to do, with a number of individuals mentioning poor reception and perceived retaliation once they have executed so. You’ll additionally discover some individuals 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 assume? Will you apply with Toptal? It appears like an thrilling alternative when you’ve bought the abilities they’re searching for, 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!
