The Essential Guide to Hiring a Web3 Developer for Your Startup

If you’re a startup founder, you know how hard it is to find the right people for your team. It can feel like a never-ending search for the unicorn: someone with all of the skills, knowledge, and experience that you need. And if your startup is going to be created with the use of Web3, finding a tech-savvy Web3 developer becomes even more challenging. The matter is that when starting your journey, you may not even know what kind of specialist you need.

That’s why this practical guide aims at helping aspiring entrepreneurs with great Web3 project ideas in mind find the right path and hire the finest-tuned Web3 programmers. We at Bridge have helped dozens of innovative companies build powerful Web3 teams, and now, it’s your turn to succeed.

What’s special about Web3 technology and Web3 developers?

For starters, let’s briefly clarify why the world is so obsessed with Web3 technology right now. Web3 is a decentralized network that allows people to interact with each other and their data in a way that’s more secure, transparent, and equitable than what we’re used to.

Web3 technology uses blockchain, which is an open-source platform for building applications that run exactly as programmed without any possibility of downtime, censorship, fraud, or third-party interference. This makes it perfect for things like storing medical records or voting systems — it’s not owned by any particular entity, so no one can change or compromise it.

With Web3 technologies, users can become the sole owners of their own data instead of having it stored in centralized servers owned by companies like Facebook or Google. This means people can control who has access to their information and how they use it. So, Web3 is about to revolutionize the way we use the Internet and manage our data. That’s why it isn’t surprising that Web3 startups are on the rise. 

More than $23 billion was invested in Web3 projects in 2022, and Web3 developers are in high demand, too. What’s more, as stated by Forbes, the lack of these specialists slows down the growth of Web3, plus the competition for them becomes more fierce. 

So, is there a way to hire Web3 developers in 2023? Let’s dive into the issue deeper. 

How to hire Web3 developers

Before you hire Web3 programmers, it is important to understand that Web3 isn’t a skill to learn, like JavaScript programming, for example. Instead, Web3 is a number of concepts that relate to the future of the internet, which includes decentralization, blockchain technologies, and token-based economics. That’s why creating an app for Web3 requires hiring specialists of different profiles and with different skill sets, depending on the specifics of the app you would like to build. 

#1 – Decide on the desired role

It is your first step to hire Web3 developers. To create an app for Web3, you may need to hire:

• Blockchain developers. Blockchain engineers are responsible for developing the blockchain infrastructure and making it secure. 
• Rust developers. Rust is a programming language that is used by most Web3 projects today because it is more secure than other languages, like C++ or JavaScript. That’s why there is no surprise that the number of Rust developers has recently skyrocketed – there were 2,2 million Rust programmers in 2022 (compared to 0,6 million in 2020). 
• Solidity developers. Solidity developers build smart contracts using Solidity, which is a programming language designed specifically for Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). 
• Smart contracts developers. They create smart contracts using Solidity and other languages, such as Python and JavaScript, to carry out tasks in an automated fashion without human intervention. 

#2 – Identify the required skill set

Below are the main hard and soft skills great Web3 developers should have. 

Hard skills: 

• Understanding the essence of blockchain technology. 
• Blockchain programming skills with one or several languages (including, but not limited to C++, Java, JS, Python, and Golang)
• Deep understanding of cryptography and security principles
• Marketing and finance management skills, especially if you hire Web3 developers for a startup. 

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Fortunately, the soft skills of Web3 developers are the same as any other programmer is expected to have. These are communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, creative and analytical thinking, and understanding the essence of Agile methodology and Scrum project management approach. 

#3 – Write a highly specific job description

The most important thing when you hire a Web3 developer is to write a clear and detailed job description. Your goal is to find the right person, so try to describe your company and project as accurately as possible — this will help you filter out candidates who are not interested in working for you. 

Follow simple yet effective tips below: 

• Describe your company and project
• List the technologies you plan to use
• Describe the candidate that will be a perfect fit for you, but make sure there are no biases
• Add value, describing the perks and benefits you company can offer. 

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Below is the Web3 developer job ad example that perfectly illustrates each of the points described above. It talks about the company, covers the candidate’s responsibilities, describes the perfect applicant, lists the tools and technologies they should be skilled with, and provides the benefits the company offers.

#4 – Run interview sessions and assign a test task

The next step is to run interview sessions and assign a test task to your best-fit candidates. Ask them a series of questions to verify their knowledge of Web3. Below are some of the basic ones:

• How do you understand Web3 and what’s the difference between Web1 and Web2?
• What’s the difference between fungible & non-fungible tokens?
• What are the differences between L1 & L2 blockchain networks?
• What is the blockchain trilemma?
• Can you explain what smart contracts are?
• Why do you think Ethereum will be successful?
• How do you see Web3 development changing in the next five years?
• What is the most difficult part of Web3 development for you?

Then, once they’ve answered all of your questions, you can ask them to complete a test task. The test task should be related to the job they’re applying for so that you can see how they’ll perform after joining the project. At the same time, it shouldn’t take much time – for example, you can ask your candidates to code a simple smart contract. 

How much does it cost to hire Web3 developers? 

Because of the rising demand for Web3 developers and their shortage, the Web3 developer’s salary is pretty high. However, it is still skill-dependent, so let’s take a brief look at the Web3 developers’ wages of different specializations. 

So, the cost to hire a Web3 developer that specializes in building smart contracts is pretty competitive and comparable to the salary of a JavaScript programmer. Rust developer’s salary, in turn, is two times higher; however, it can also be optimized depending on the way you hire these programmers, the platforms you use to recruit them, and the engagement model your project offers. 

Where to hire Web3 developers? 

If you’re looking for a place to find top-quality Web3 developers, the following platforms are definitely worth checking out. 

• Upwork. Upwork is a platform that connects freelancers with employers, and it is currently the world’s largest freelance website. It has more than 12 million specialists, and Web3 developers aren’t an exception. The cost to hire them on Upwork is also pretty flexible, but keep in mind that gathering and running a freelance team isn’t easy and this approach is recommended for companies that have prior experience working with freelancers. 
• Web3 Career. This platform is dedicated to hiring Web3 developers only. While there is no opportunity for them to publish their CVs, you can use this website to post your job ad and be sure that highly relevant candidates will apply for it. 
• Bridge. Bridge takes on hiring Web3 developers differently. With us, you should neither look for the best specialists manually, like doing it on Upwork, nor distribute your job description as on Web3 Career. We stand for a faster and smarter approach to hiring Web3 developers across the globe, leveraging the power of data and automation. With our help, you can decrease the cost-per-hire by up to 60% and reach out to qualified Web3 programmers five times faster compared to the traditional approach. 

Talk to our experts now to find out how to hire Web3 developers in an advanced way! 

Hire top-notch Web3 developers with Bridge

Since Web3 is an emerging technology, the demand for Web3 developers continues to grow, but is still in short supply. Finding them in a global talent pool is also challenging because of their specific and deeply technical skill set. At Bridge, we know this struggle like no one else, and that’s why we have developed a dedicated approach to sourcing rare specialists for our customers. 

Our proprietary data engine is at the heart of our sourcing-as-a-service, which makes the process of hiring Web3 specialists highly predictable in terms of speed and cost. The matter is that we have smartly combined the power of data-driven talent sourcing with the manual work of our data analysts and human recruiters. 

Our data analysts write custom search scripts for each query, allowing a proprietary data engine to tailor the best-fit candidates to the customer’s requirements. Then, our talent sourcers validate the suggested candidates manually, reaching out to them in their native language and ensuring a cultural fit. Each of our customers also has a dedicated Project Manager, who works as a link between us and your in-house HR department. 

Try our sourcing-as-a-service in action. Contact us now and get the first Web3 candidates in a few days!