They ask you to source 5 candidates and write individual emails to them with no outlines or guidelines. So without direction it’s essentially subjective, doesn’t mean the hours of work you put into this is bad...

I'll start off by saying the internal recruiter I spoke with at TopTal was so nice and a breath of fresh air to speak with. You could tell he really loved the company and job, and we had a great conversation! My cons about TopTal - I ended up pulling myself out of consideration after they asked me to do search string homework. I had other opportunities in the pipeline and didn't have time to do homework. Also as a recruiter myself, I really don't believe in job interview homework outside of positions like engineering, coding, etc. As a recruiter with 3 years of experience and LI recruiter experience, I know how to do a boolean search and run a pipeline. When I had originally applied to the job, it was a pretty lengthy application but I was open to filling it out. At the end, the last question was "tell us about the hardest thing you have ever been through in your life, whether personal or professional." I found this very odd, as if I am going to submit to some ATS system my family hardships? All in all, the people who work there seem happy, and proud, but my experience in the interview process gave me pretentious vibes. They also mentioned taking a personality test which is a no from me. I think this company is the right fit for the right type of person, but not everyone.