This 4-Part Process Helps One Firm Vet Top Talent Four hurdles are all that stands between you and your dream job. Can you clear them?

When firms like Google, Ideo, Airbnb and even Pfizer need a freelance Java expert or UX designer -- and they need it, like, yesterday -- they call Toptal. The $80 million company has developed a rigorous, four-part screening process: "We get thousands of applicants every month," says cofounder and CEO Taso du Val, "and we take the top 3 percent." Here's how Toptal vets its freelancers.

Hurdle One: Soft-Skills Screening

"We have to screen for adulthood," says cofounder and COO Breanden Beneschott. "You need to be able to work across the world and still get stuff done. So, do you have a certain energy level? Are you disciplined? If you're one minute late to the call -- literally 60 seconds late -- it's an automatic fail."