Pros
During the interview process I worried this would be too good to be true. Well, it's the real deal. I'm grateful to be a part of a successful and growing company that's an industry-leader bringing inventive and disrupting ideas. It's dedicated towards constant self-improvement and has a thoughtful growth plan.
✔ PEOPLE: Being fully remote I was shocked at the relationships I quickly built and continue to develop across my team and the organization. Everyone is readily available and willing to help each other.
My team communicates very well and help each other out wherever it is needed.
*Toptal is FILLED with people that truly care about their work and come up with impressive, innovative ways to better the environment, our goals, our processes, and any other area they can envision.
✔ CEO: He's not yachting or making decisions from the golf course. He's on the ground, contributing daily. He's involved and cares about this place. He's very intelligent, passionate, and strategic. He is a very direct communicator, but without direct communication you'd be left with ambiguity and inefficiency.
✔ CULTURE: Quickly reinforced what I was told during the interview process. This is a culture of collaborative and driven individuals. We show up and work hard while building relationships along the way. A very straightforward and blunt communication style which contributes to an open, "carefrontation", and efficient work environment. We have team outings so you get in-person with your team and occasional virtual happy-hours too!
✔ WORK: The job descriptions are purposefully created to lay out a lot of what pertains to a job, but what they don't tell you... because of all the innovative ideas and strategies you get to do a lot of interesting work. You're driven to think of things from new angles and contribute to conversation driving improvements in processes, strategy, and innovation. You'll be challenged here.
✔ FLEXIBILITY: I can work from where I want. Some days I need the quiet concentration of my home office and other days I enjoy sitting at a local cafe. I have coworkers that enjoy working on their patios and others that travel the world full time.
*The PTO? I thought my last employer was generous and lax about time off, but Toptal proved that wrong. When I recently took time off I mentioned that I'd check-in on slack and was told "NO, enjoy your time off. It's YOURS." The PTO is the real deal.
Cons
✘ Toptal isn't for everyone. If you just show up to work just for a paycheck you won't succeed or like it here. Toptal is for people that care about what they do, are driven for a greater purpose, and want to have impact.
✘ Remote work requires someone that is a self starter and passionate so they can stay on the ball. It also requires a strong ability to communicate proactively.
