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They set your hourly rate, many other clauses you need to ask about like the $30k referral fine, being spied on, agreeing to refund all your fees ect. http://y

They set your hourly rate, many other clauses you need to ask about like the $30k referral fine, being spied on, agreeing to refund all your fees ect. http://yuriybabenko.com/blog/my-experience-joining-toptal http://yuriybabenko.com/blog/my-experience-joining-toptal

geofft 11y ago
... Wow, the CEO went into the comments saying "The only thing that is a scam is this post?" Even if he's right on the facts (which he can't be, he didn't dispute the majority of the post), he doesn't sound like a person I want to work with.
- lgleason 11y ago
  I met the CEO and had a chance to talk with him.... from that interaction I would definitely not want to work him. YMMV
bbeneschott 11y ago
Unfortunately, I think this is pretty misleading and incomplete. We do not set anyone's hourly rate, but if you come in expecting $250/hr and there isn't much on your profile to justify that, we will push back to figure out why you think clients will hire you at that rate. Ultimately, your rate is up to you, but it doesn't do anyone any good if you're sitting in Toptal un-hirable. Clients won't hire you if your rate doesn't match your abilities or if there are other people similarly capable but with very different rates from you. Being spied on? I don't know what that is referring to. The circumvention clause is real, though we've never even come close to needing to enforce it. Re refunding all fees: We've never even come close to needing to enforce this, but if someone really botched an engagement, this is a possibility. However, part of the benefit of joining Toptal is that you have the entire network and core team going to bat for you. Good people wouldn't stay long if we were taking all their compensation from them.
- idlewords 11y ago
  You've said 'misleading and incomplete' to two substantive posts in this thread. That's tantamount to calling people liars.
  - Radim 11y ago
    It can be hard when people attack your baby publicly :) For a company of TopTal's size, I guess they could (should) give their C*Os a training on PR, or at least a damage control manual!
    - um304 11y ago
      I agree TopTal needs PR training. Their CEO's response here is a case study of how a CEO shouldn't respond: http://yuriybabenko.com/blog/my-experience-joining-toptal http://yuriybabenko.com/blog/my-experience-joining-toptal
  - rattray 11y ago
    I think in both cases the people were essentially lying. (EDIT: probably unintentionally). I applied to toptal (never did dev work through them, but I would) and after I was accepted, was asked to name my rate - at the time, it was US$60/hr and they said I'd likely find work at that (this is correct, by the way - I did find work at that through them but decided not to take it for unrelated reasons). In regards to the other comment where bbeneschott used that language, the person was also flat-out wrong. When I applied, step one was a phone call with a person, step two was an automated quiz, step three was a live-coding session over skype with an engineer, step four was an app to build at home, and step five was another skype session with an engineer to review that application. Onerous? maybe, yeah. But definitely not inhuman or automated. Sounds like the other person bbeneschott "called a liar" simply didn't make it through step 2 (I can understand why they'd be upset). disclaimer: I know bbeneschott personally (through toptal). But I don't earn through toptal anymore and have no financial incentive I can think of to support them.
    - tptacek 11y ago

geofft 11y ago

... Wow, the CEO went into the comments saying "The only thing that is a scam is this post?" Even if he's right on the facts (which he can't be, he didn't dispute the majority of the post), he doesn't sound like a person I want to work with.

lgleason 11y ago
I met the CEO and had a chance to talk with him.... from that interaction I would definitely not want to work him. YMMV

bbeneschott 11y ago

Unfortunately, I think this is pretty misleading and incomplete. We do not set anyone's hourly rate, but if you come in expecting $250/hr and there isn't much on your profile to justify that, we will push back to figure out why you think clients will hire you at that rate. Ultimately, your rate is up to you, but it doesn't do anyone any good if you're sitting in Toptal un-hirable. Clients won't hire you if your rate doesn't match your abilities or if there are other people similarly capable but with very different rates from you. Being spied on? I don't know what that is referring to. The circumvention clause is real, though we've never even come close to needing to enforce it. Re refunding all fees: We've never even come close to needing to enforce this, but if someone really botched an engagement, this is a possibility. However, part of the benefit of joining Toptal is that you have the entire network and core team going to bat for you. Good people wouldn't stay long if we were taking all their compensation from them.

idlewords 11y ago
You've said 'misleading and incomplete' to two substantive posts in this thread. That's tantamount to calling people liars.
- Radim 11y ago
  It can be hard when people attack your baby publicly :) For a company of TopTal's size, I guess they could (should) give their C*Os a training on PR, or at least a damage control manual!
  - um304 11y ago
    I agree TopTal needs PR training. Their CEO's response here is a case study of how a CEO shouldn't respond: http://yuriybabenko.com/blog/my-experience-joining-toptal http://yuriybabenko.com/blog/my-experience-joining-toptal
- rattray 11y ago
  I think in both cases the people were essentially lying. (EDIT: probably unintentionally). I applied to toptal (never did dev work through them, but I would) and after I was accepted, was asked to name my rate - at the time, it was US$60/hr and they said I'd likely find work at that (this is correct, by the way - I did find work at that through them but decided not to take it for unrelated reasons). In regards to the other comment where bbeneschott used that language, the person was also flat-out wrong. When I applied, step one was a phone call with a person, step two was an automated quiz, step three was a live-coding session over skype with an engineer, step four was an app to build at home, and step five was another skype session with an engineer to review that application. Onerous? maybe, yeah. But definitely not inhuman or automated. Sounds like the other person bbeneschott "called a liar" simply didn't make it through step 2 (I can understand why they'd be upset). disclaimer: I know bbeneschott personally (through toptal). But I don't earn through toptal anymore and have no financial incentive I can think of to support them.
  - tptacek 11y ago