A few tips to help turn your Web3 passion into a day job (and a few things you should never do)
By Melissa Quinn
Macro and crypto market conditions right now may be discouraging, but don’t let your inspiration get tamped down; there’s still lots of opportunity out there.
In a bear market like this, there are plenty of strong, professional teams that continue to build and develop so that when the next bull hits, they have the strongest foundation to manage the noise and hype. It’s essential for teams like ours to get the right people in place, now.
Bear crypto markets are less noisy so there is more time to focus on development, and that applies on a personal, professional and organizational level. We’re noticing many candidates these days wanting to find a consistent, stable, full-time team to join with less bouncing between several part-time DAOs. Meanwhile, we’re also seeing some people ‘crypto catastrophize’, and shifting back to Web2 (although the tech industry as a whole faces challenges).
There have been a ton of recent layoffs in tech and other industries, so now companies are facing a much hungrier pool of applicants, whereas a year ago, Web3 and crypto workers were enjoying more stable circumstances — and organizations were in a battle for talent.
Overall, many things are shifting but these factors can actually align nicely for passionate applicants who believe in the crypto and Web3 movement and are ready to set themselves apart from the rest.
Being responsible for hiring for the positions at UMA and Across, I see that our current candidates reveal some indicators about the state of the market overall. Current conditions, the FTX saga and macroeconomics appear to be producing a different pool of candidates. In general, we are seeing higher quality and more relevance among the applicants, especially among those who appear willing to ride out the bear.
During bulls, there can be massive numbers of applicants, but many lack focus and are mostly intrigued by bull market fireworks and rising prices instead of joining a serious, driven team focused on building. Longevity also doesn’t seem top of mind for many of these applicants, as they’re trying to get their first break in crypto.
So if you count yourself among those committed to Web3 and to joining a meaningful project, here are a few things you should always do to find your ideal role (and a few things you should never do as a candidate.)
Educate yourself
Start by doing thorough research into the project or organization you want to work with. Educate yourself about what they do, who they are as an organization and measure their values, culture, purpose and vision. Jump into the Discord and the community, read their docs site, blogs, and other publicity.
Get familiar before you make initial contact, so you can go into the interview prepared to show how you can add value and express why you’re excited about the role. It’s just as important for the candidate to interview the company. You may turn up red flags in your research about the organization. Don’t ignore these.
Always highlight your relevant experience
Relevance is the key word. At any given time, my recruiting team may have a stack of hundreds of worthy applications, so it’s important to help the hiring team to help you.
That means focusing on your professional experience in, or related to that industry, but also your hobbyist experiences like hackathon wins, submissions, and other side projects. This should go beyond just crypto experience, but if you’re applying for a job in DeFi vs. NFTs, for instance, it would be wise to emphasize any finance or commerce related experience rather than bragging about your NFT collection. Both can be insightful, but it’s up to the applicant to showcase why certain experiences connect well with a project’s purpose and vision.
Break tradition and put your best application forward
Generally speaking, Web3 recruiters and hiring managers are evolving away from requiring the traditional application package of cover letter and resume. But a good rule of thumb is to always follow the hiring manager’s instructions regarding what they require in their application.
It’s most important, though, to include a package of materials that are informative and illustrative of your experiences, skills, accomplishments and Web3 social presence.
That could include links to personal websites, your portfolio, LinkedIn, Twitter profile and past crypto projects — and it’s always wise for technical applicants to include their Github page and any of their open source code commits and hackathon projects.
Ultimately, transparency and open source are valued by Web3 teams, so if you’re aligned with that ethos, it’s likely your public platforms provide more information than your resume. Think about providing a holistic representation of your skills and experiences so that your best self is apparent. It shouldn’t be limited to a single pdf.
Be persistent and familiarize yourself with the team
Tailor your job-oriented outreach to the appropriate people. For example, it wouldn’t make sense to pester an engineer on the team, if you’re applying for a community role.
There’s no harm, however, in developing general connections and rapport with other members of the team using platforms like Twitter, Discord and LinkedIn. Getting to know each other is a two-way street, but avoid making your communication all about getting a job. It’s important that your interest in the project is organic and real.
You’ll sense if people are open to communicate based on their settings (ie., DMs open or closed). Persistency that is respectful, tactful and polite can work in your favor while giving you some insight into the team. You can learn a lot about their culture and values in how they respond to you and treat you.
Stick to your goals
If you don’t get the interview at your target project right away, don’t let that stop you. Think about how you can invest in yourself to stand out with an application in the future. That could mean involving yourself deeper in the project’s community or DAO, attending conferences and hackathons and developing projects of your own that will soon set you apart from others.
Think about your special skill set and how it could leverage that to help a project, and then find a way to become the best version of yourself in that role. Doors will start to open.
Here are a few things you should always avoid when trying to find your ideal home in Web3 or DeFi.
Never talk about your investments (in crypto or otherwise)
Most self-respecting projects should not be price obsessed. Token values matter for the industry as a whole, yes, but we’re here to build meaningful technology regardless of market conditions.
Your ability, or lack thereof, to make money in crypto is not a relevant factor to you being able to do your job well, generally speaking. Highlighting your ‘investments’ in projects or trading history could give the wrong impression about what you value.
Don’t use vagueness to bait an interview
Earning an interview based on your initial application can be hard, but a sure way to make that not happen is to intentionally withhold pertinent details.
Assume that recruiters and hiring managers are incredibly busy people (because they are) and remember to provide well-edited, easy to read, relevant details in your application to showcase who you are and what you can do. Don’t expect them to be tempted by your mystique.
Don’t assume your previous titles provide enough information
People can have complicated job titles with high specialization. It’s crucial not to assume that everyone will understand, or appreciate, what you can do based on your job title alone. Each company has different labels for their roles and job descriptions, and some companies don’t care much about titles.
So be sure to provide accurate descriptions and characterizations of your skills and relevant experience in a way that matches the organization’s expressed needs.
Don’t highlight personal details that wouldn’t be considered relevant to the job
This is a tricky one. Worthwhile projects should be motivated to actively diversify their teams and to recruit and hire in ways that break down marginalization. That means being engaged and welcoming to people of color, non-binary people, geographically diverse candidates — and to all who face other or intersecting types of marginalization.
But a good application should avoid emphasizing personal details like age, marital or family status or political affiliations. (Some hiring managers use “blind” applications in which names and gender are withheld during initial screening, intentionally.)
A candidate seeking their dream job should, on the other hand, do their due diligence to learn about their target organization to ensure they’re applying to a team that respects and values diversity in all its forms. Ultimately, once you get through to the first interview, you want to be accepted and valued for your true self!
Of course, this isn’t a perfect formula, but ideally, the candidate should be able to trust that the hiring manager will proceed with a screening and interview process that allows the applicant to present a holistic picture of who they are, their experience and their skills.
Melissa Quinn is the COO of Risk Labs, the team and foundation behind UMA and Across.
