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How to Ace the Toptal Interviews

The interview is often the most nerve-racking part of any job. Sasquatches don't do particularly well in interviews, but it's not for lack of trying. Let's just say that it's because of the whole “refusing to be seen in public” thing. Fortunately, this Simple Sasquatch does know a thing or two about helping others learn how to ace their interviews, especially when using Toptal. This guide will teach you more about the Toptal interview process and the product managers and finance test questions.

What is Toptal's interview process?

Online freelancing platforms allow folks to bring their unique set of skills to the (virtual) table and work with people on projects. These platforms continue to rise in popularity, as the traditional workday is almost considered a thing of the past. Like UpWork or Fiverr, a lot of them allow users to hop on and start working right away. Others are more exclusive, like Toptal. This is because Toptal reportedly offers the top 3% of talent in the fields that they work with. There is a unique screening process, so it takes a lot of skill to be one of the 3% that pass and join Toptal 's freelance network.

The screening process on Toptal has five steps

The initial interview is just like a traditional interview, but it's also important to have strong technical skills. The Toptal network is made up of the world's top companies and clients that rely on the services of its specialists. Make sure your skills are up to par and your problem solving ability is on point and you'll be on your way to joining an elite group of professionals. Now the test steps and how to prepare for them:

The First:

The first step is the language and personality step, which requires users to pass a language and communication evaluation interview. This will look more like your traditional interview than the following steps, as it relies on more than just your technical skills.

The second:

The second stage Is an in-depth skill review, where you have to prove the quality of excellence in your domain.

The third:

The live screening step, puts you screen-to-screen with a Toptal interviewer, who will provide you with various exercises in your field. You will also have to talk your way through your solutions.

The fourth:

The fourth step is for test projects, where you'll mimic a test project that could pop up during your time on the Toptal website. For the test project try to demonstrate your problem solving ability, your knowledge, and integrity to find a solution to the test projects.

The Fifth:

For this stage If you've passed all the previous steps, you'll find yourself in the fifth step: Continued Excellence. This is where the website will continue to monitor your process and ensure that you deserve to stay in the top 3%.

Toptal product manager test interview questions to prepare for

Whether you're applying to Toptal to enter product management, product design, product support, a finance expert, or other in demand skills you'll have to undergo the same first interview as everybody else. This is your best opportunity to get your foot in the door at Toptal, and it requires you to rely on your personality and interviewing skills rather than your technical skills.

Learning how to ace the Toptal interviews for this stage's focus is like any other business employment preparation. You'll want to be prepared to talk about your work experience, especially as it relates to what you'll be doing on Toptal. Some interview questions, as found on Glassdoor by actual applicants, include the following:

Why did you choose Toptal?
How do you manage interpersonal conflict?
How long have you been using the technology that you're working with?

As you can see, this section should be a breeze if you brush up on your resume and basic interviewing skills. In addition to measuring your personality and work readiness, they also evaluate your English communication skills. Whether you're a native English speaker or not, you'll need to be aware and confident with your conversational skills.

All about the Toptal test questions

Each field, including finance, project manager, and product manager, requires you to take the aforementioned skills tests. On the one hand, these tests are far more straightforward than the first interview if you know what you're doing and have the knowledge to back up your desire to work for Toptal. On the other, they are far more selective than the first round, so you'll need to prepare for complex questions.

Things like the Toptal project management test start with your in-depth skill review. This will be a 90-minute test where you will work on technical skills and problem-solving. Coding is often heavily involved in this stage. Each test is different to ensure that answers are not shared online since it is not a monitored test.

The live screening test questions are even faster. You'll have two problems to solve within about 20 minutes each, and you'll have a live interviewer who will ask you to talk your way through problem-solving.

It might be easy to wonder exactly what you should be studying, especially since Toptal has so many domains that you can work in. Fortunately, their website lists various example interview questions. Here are a few select questions to give you a better idea about what to expect:

How do Insertion sort, Heapsort, Quicksort, and Merge sort work?
What is a Hash Table, and what is the average case and worst-case time for each of its operations? How can we use this structure to find all anagrams in a dictionary?
What are Red-Black trees and B-Trees? What is the best use case for each of them?

Join Toptal

Tips on Improving Online Communication Skills for the Toptal interview:

You, Humans, are really good at conveying mood with just a few gestures and sounds. You can speak in hundreds of different tones, or use your voice to tell people about how you feel without ever having actually said anything!

You need to be able not only to talk about your skills, talent, work quality and experience, but also to make an impression on the people you meet. This is especially true when it comes time for job interviews where a rapport will help get Toptal on board with which employees they should hire for the toptal network.

Communication skills are crucial for interviews, and you should work on them before the big day arrives. If a lot of your interview will be spent in silence or just talking with someone face-to-face it's important that you do everything possible to make sure they feel comfortable around you so their guard doesn't drop during difficult moments when things get tough!

Here are some resources to aid in your preparation:

Eye Contact and Expressions

When communicating with someone, your eyes act as an indicator of how you feel. During interviews, they help convey important signals like interest level and intent that can make all the difference between being hired by a company or not getting called back at all . If asked about something particularly passionate then let it show on your face; professional doesn't mean robotic--most employers want to hire talent who are passionate too!

Smiling also does wonders because smiling makes us appear friendlier which helps build rapport in return leading to hiring decisions faster.

Talk Slowly

When you feel anxious or nervous, take deep breaths and talk slowly to control your emotions. This not only shows that you are in charge of yourself but also helps the interviewer understand what is going on with You!

Listen

Listening to the interviewer is just as important for a successful interview. Whether you’re able to ask questions or not, they need confidence in your ability to pay attention and communicate effectively with other people around them- which means this skill will come up often during any company talent search!

Speak with Confidence

You need to convince top companies in the world that you are perfect for this role, so it's best not to just rely on your confidence. You should prepare ahead of time and go into interviews with a clear plan about what kind of self-assuredness will work well in each situation - after all, they won't be impressed if you come across as boastful or confident but lack substance! They want integrity and self aware talent to link to the Toptal clients. Practicing makes perfect.

Don’t Talk Too Much

This is a common error that many people make when they are unprepared or perhaps holding back on what they really want to say. When you ramble, it tells the interviewer something about your personality: You can be nervous and unsure of yourself which could lead them towards choosing not to hire you because no one wants an employee who doesn't know how their job works! It's also important not just in terms of conversation but during interviews-- shorter answers mean more confidence so use those words wisely; every word counts toward getting hired.

Choose your Words

You should always remember that your interview isn't just about showing off what you know, but rather it's an opportunity to sell yourself and convince the companies why they need someone like YOU.

One way of doing this is by using language which shows enthusiasm for their project; while still keeping things professional - even if interviews aren’t as formal anymore!

Consider Questions and Answer Carefully

The best way to answer questions is by practicing in advance. However, there will always be situations where you must respond on your feet or use a link from past experiences or when you managed difficult people effectively. This is all data an employer might ask about during a Toptal interview! Check my guide to common interview questions.

Ask Them Questions

The best way to make sure you are not leaving any stones unturned in your search is by being prepared for anything. Have a few questions ready when these prompts arise and don't forget that an interview isn’t just about what they say but also how it makes them feel!

9 Tips to improve your technical Skills for the Toptal interview:

The more you read, the better your understanding of technology will be. Technical books are an excellent way to improve skills in programming and networking among other things!
Read some good online tutorials. You can find some really helpful online tutorials that will teach you how to do various things like Photoshop, javascript, PHP, Excel, etc
Spend time with technical people. It is important to get an understanding of how things work, and it will make you a better communicator if they are able to brainstorm solutions for their own problems while working on yours too!
Technical magazines are a great way to stay on top of technical trends. You can also find talent listings and learn more about the industry from these titles!
Taking classes is a smart way to learn more and build your resume. Some people stay at their job for years without taking any training, so why would you want that? Not only will it increase the number of opportunities available in today’s competitive market but also give yourself an edge by brushing up on skills or learning new techniques!
Try to create a website.
And if you want to develop better hardware skills then try to build your own PC.
Make use of different software.
Learn Programming languages. Programming is the art of instructing a computer to do a particular task.

What are typical Toptal interview questions?

Tell us a bit about the latest project you worked on. Was it completed successfully? Explain how you contributed to its success and how you handled any obstacles you may have run into.
Talk about a time when you had to make a critical decision during production. What happened? How did you manage it?
How would you explain APIs to non-technical stakeholders?
What programming languages do you use? Which three do you prefer, or are most familiar with?
What do you think are the most important aspects to pay attention to when reviewing another team member’s code?
What has your experience been like as part of an agile software development process, if any?
Here is a simple programming challenge. Could you have a go at solving it?
Example question 1 (shorter time frame): Write a function to compute the Nth Fibonacci number.
Example question 2 (longer time frame): Write a function that takes the current position of a knight on a chessboard, and returns a preliminary list of possible moves the knight could make. (That is, the current positions of other pieces are not provided, so you can’t check against capturing pieces on the knight’s own side nor making their king vulnerable to capture.)