The Maturing Crypto Job Market

Compared to the last bull cycle, the jobs market is slightly less abundant for candidates looking to enter the industry. But professionals with experience are as well-placed as ever, says Emily Landon, founder of The Crypto Recruiters.

The Maturing Crypto Job Market

Compared to the last bull cycle, the jobs market is slightly less fruitful for candidates looking to break into the industry. But professionals with experience are as well-placed as ever, says Emily Landon, founder of The Crypto Recruiters, the first woman-owned blockchain recruitment firm in the world.

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Since the last bull market, we’ve seen a slight decrease in the number of crypto jobs available. But, as professional recruiters, we feel the market for hiring is as strong as it’s ever been, especially for experienced candidates.

If you're fortunate enough to have been in crypto for three or more years, this is a prime job market for you. Companies are seeking candidates with a track record and specialization. Our advice: Stay in your lane and avoid being the generalist.

A quick LinkedIn search for profiles containing the keyword “blockchain” on their resumes yields 152,000 results, while “crypto” shows 119,000. This is down from a peak employment in crypto of about 211,000 in mid-2021, as bear markets, inflation and layoffs hit the job market.

The industry has taken a blow since the last bull cycle, but it’s not all doom and gloom. Professionals in crypto are sticky, and we, as recruiters, don’t see anyone leaving; we only see more qualified candidates looking to join the space.

Our LinkedIn DMs and emails are full of people all over the world sharing their resumes and asking for advice on how to transition to Web3.

Compared to 2021, when we had a huge influx of people entering crypto, we're now seeing a larger talent pool of candidates with two to four years’ industry experience. This is a huge milestone for the young industry, as talent is more developed, teams have more hiring options, and companies don't have to use as many resources for onboarding.

Even as the depth of candidate experience has increased, the talent pool still needs to expand to keep up with industry growth predictions for the years to interesting. Competition in hiring roles for protocol engineers and developer relations leaders is stronger than ever, as demand for core company roles that make up founding teams increases and industry experience is expected.

Here are some recent trends from our job board:

Crypto twitter remains a great outlet for gaining credibility through personal brand building. We know many candidates that get contacted personally by CEOs and execs through X personal accounts. When sourcing, our team finds X profiles to be a strong compliment to resumes and portfolios. We even see an opportunity for LinkedIn to become a prime platform for the Web3 community, if candidates are posting engaging content.

Staying active on X, attending conferences, and highlighting your specialization in your experience will be the best way to position yourself in this market. Find the people that want to help, because this is an industry of professionals that win and help others win.

The support is evident through tough moments, such as:

After a recent layoff at Matter Labs, the co-founder posted on X the letter he sent to employees about the difficult decision. Comments from execs and hiring managers flooded the reply section with support and opportunities for those affected. Our advice: Lean into the warm crypto culture and never forget the strength of the community this industry was built on.

Despite what may seem like challenges and setbacks for crypto from the outside, we're seeing the strongest talent pool to date, fierce competition in hiring, and candidates interviewing with multiple companies at a time.

Candidates with the most success in the job market display a combination of a personal brand, strong network, and know how to leverage their specific skill sets. The biggest trends we see out of this are portfolios, in-person events, and specialized/customized resumes.

The future looks very promising for this seasoned talent pool dedicated to the crypto and blockchain ethos. As more teams build with strong talent, we’ll likely see a new cycle of growth that will continue to welcome new professionals eager to join this vibrant industry.

Note: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinDesk, Inc. or its owners and affiliates.

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