I made it to the final stage of Toptal’s screening. Got a huge, open-ended take-home assignment. No time estimate, but the scope was massive if you actually cared to do it properly. I spent 40+ hours on it. A week of work. A long, detailed submission that followed the brief closely.
Then the interview happened.
The interviewer didn’t even know if I had submitted the project. Let that sink in. We’re at the FINAL STAGE, and they join the call not even sure whether my work exists. From there it only got worse.
It became obvious they hadn’t properly read the brief or my submission. I was blamed for “missing” things that were literally in the document. When I tried to clarify, I was rushed and told to skip ahead. I wasn’t allowed to actually present the work I spent weeks on, which, by the way, was the entire point of the interview.
The whole call felt like they just wanted to get it over with.
Then the rejection: vague, generic, corporate nonsense. “Not satisfied.” “Not a fit.” Zero specifics. Zero actionable feedback. Just boilerplate rejection language after weeks of unpaid work.
Afterward, I complained. Only then did the interviewer admit they had skimmed the document. SKIMMED. Forty pages. Forty hours. Skimmed. And apparently that was enough to decide I wasn’t good enough.
Honestly, that tells you everything.
This process feels completely broken. It feels like candidates are pushed to the final stage just to keep the funnel moving, not because there’s real intent to evaluate them properly. The time investment expected from candidates is insane compared to the care taken on the interviewer side.
And don’t get me started on the “top 3%” branding. If this is how that bar is enforced, rushed calls, unprepared interviewers, vague rejections, then the brand is doing a LOT of heavy lifting.
I don’t think Toptal is a scam. But I do think their screening process is careless, opaque, and borderline disrespectful to experienced professionals who take the assignment seriously.
Posting this because I wish someone had been this blunt with me beforehand.
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Toptal is the world’s largest fully remote workforce, powered by a global network of more than 20,000 highly vetted professionals in technology, design, finance, marketing, and strategic consulting. Only the top 3% of applicants are accepted into our network. Founded in 2010, Toptal has been trusted by more than 30,000 clients, from the Fortune 500 to cutting-edge startups. We provide a variety of services to drive businesses forward, from on-demand talent and teams to complete end-to-end solutions. For more information, please visit www.toptal.com.
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