Author: Peggy, BlockBeats
If you have browsed job forums, listened to Web3 podcasts, or attended a 'blockchain career' sharing session, you have likely heard these keywords: 'industry growth period, considerable income, remote work, flat management, young teams'.
Web3 is becoming a 'new land' in the career imagination of young people. Over the past two years, more and more graduates have begun to attempt to 'go on-chain'. Not only those from technical and financial backgrounds but even individuals from marketing, operations, design, content, and product fields have begun to package their resumes and apply to this seemingly flexible and pioneering industry.
But beneath the hype, opportunities and misunderstandings coexist. On one side, project parties shout 'we need people'; on the other side, newcomers cry 'we can't get in'. Behind the seemingly open entry is a recruitment logic that is still taking shape.
To clarify this issue, in June 2025, BlockBeats and Bitget jointly launched an in-depth interview and questionnaire survey targeting the crypto community, collecting information on career choices, recruitment paths, and job preferences from both job seekers and employers, with a total of 71 valid questionnaires returned. At the same time, interviews were conducted with various roles, including students, practitioners, HR professionals, well-known headhunters, and job platform leaders.
Based on the cross-validation of quantitative and qualitative data, this article attempts to review what has happened in Web3 job seeking over the past two years from the dual perspectives of the recruitment end and the job-seeking end: who is flowing in, who is hiring, who is staying? And a more realistic question: does a newcomer with 0 experience really have a chance to break through in this 'decentralized' career jungle?
1. From Trial to Influx: What Changes Have Happened in Web3 Job Seeking Over the Past Two Years?
In the past two years, the Web3 job-seeking ecology has quietly shifted from 'welcoming all' to 'carefully selecting'. This industry, once seen as a cutting-edge experimental field, is gradually becoming a real choice for an increasing number of outstanding graduates.
Today, Web3 is no longer an exclusive domain for geeks and speculators; a wave of elite talents is actively engaging in it.
(1) From small circles to '985 Ivy League', who is flowing into Web3?
'Is this position still hiring recently?'
Kitty has become accustomed to this question. As the head of a Web3 recruitment platform, she receives numerous resumes from university students each week. Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, and other renowned institutions, along with internship experiences in investment banks… the standards for these resumes are now completely different from two years ago, when 'as long as you are willing to come, you can start working.'
As a deep participant in Web3 recruitment, Kitty clearly feels that the industry is undergoing a structural change in job seekers. If early participants were mostly tech-obsessed geeks or sharp-eyed speculators, then today's job seekers resemble top students attracted by the concept of 'the next era'.
Rhythm BlockBeats' survey shows that among respondents participating in the Web3 job seeking questionnaire, nearly 80% (80.5%) come from 985/211 and ordinary first-tier universities, of which 985/211 accounts for 36.6%, and ordinary first-tier accounts for as high as 43.9%; in addition, respondents with overseas educational backgrounds account for 7.3%, while those from vocational or other institutions account for only 12.2%. Among them, nearly 80% (78.05%) of respondents indicated that they are willing to consider Web3 as their first job. This data indicates that Web3 is transitioning from a 'small circle' to a 'mainstream choice', attracting more and more highly educated talents to actively flow in.
(2) A more realistic choice: Why do newcomers come to Web3?
Why are these 'elites' who could have taken a more stable path actively choosing to enter a field with greater volatility and undefined rules? This is not blind speculation but a rational shift under real pressures. To understand their choices, one must look back at what the 'traditional path' they were supposed to take looks like now.
Batty is a 2025 graduate with a complete financial background, including 985 undergraduate and master's degrees, investment banking internships, and passing CFA Level 3. Following the 'standard path', she originally thought she could at least secure a decent and stable job. However, by the end of the 2024 autumn recruitment, she received only one offer from a bank's back office, with a monthly take-home pay of less than 10,000.
This is far from her expectations. Therefore, she chose not to start working immediately but began frequently searching for keywords like 'Web3 jobs' and 'how to enter Web3 with 0 experience' on social platforms, trying to find a 'detour that might lead to the future'.
Her story is not unique. For many young people with financial backgrounds, Web3 is no longer just a concept but a realistic outlet from 'involution'.
Between 2022 and 2024, the traditional financial industry underwent a profound adjustment period. Positions once seen as 'golden rice bowls' are losing their former luster, with the overall industry exhibiting a severe trend of reduced positions, declining salaries, and intensified involution.
This trend is particularly evident in the employment of fresh graduates. Major securities firms that previously absorbed large numbers of graduates opened only around 100 positions in the 2024 autumn recruitment, and the overall supply of front office positions in the IB market was only about 500, far less than the recruitment volume of a single institution in 2022. CITIC Securities, GF Securities, and others have been reported to have large-scale layoffs involving thousands of people, and the stable myth of the financial 'golden rice bowl' is breaking.
As positions shrink, the entry barriers continue to rise. 'High academic qualifications, prestigious school backgrounds, multiple internships' have become basic configurations, while CFA certificates, programming skills, macro vision, English writing, and investment research frameworks are gradually turning into 'entry tickets'. Job seekers are flocking into 'employment competitions' in hopes of standing out.
This phenomenon sharply contrasts with the tightening of traditional industry salaries. Web3 projects often provide immediate high returns. According to salary statistics from Web3 Career, as of June 2025, even entry-level positions generally have annual salaries not lower than $50,000, roughly equivalent to 350,000 RMB (based on an exchange rate of 1 USD ≈ 7.15 RMB).
Data Source: Web3 Career, June 2025 statistics
The chart shows the annual average salary situation for non-technical positions (above) and technical positions (below) divided by region.
More critically, the Web3 industry has a 'non-involution' work environment compared to traditional large companies. Many practitioners who transitioned from traditional internet companies to Web3 have mentioned a significant reduction in work intensity. A product manager who moved from a large company to Web3 stated, 'I came to Web3 purely for the money; the pressure at large companies was too great and exhausting.'
Joseph, a campus recruiter currently working in Bitget's operations center data analysis, stated that as a typical introvert, remote work allows her to efficiently connect with various departments from home, reducing commuting pressure and enhancing work efficiency and comfort. Ricardo, another campus recruiter at Bitget, had a similar experience; he hates wasting time commuting, and the work rhythm of Web3 coincidentally fits his lifestyle — even if he occasionally needs to post tweets after work, it is just a small effort since he is already deeply involved in the on-chain ecosystem.
In addition, BlockBeats' survey of Web3 job seekers found that 82.93% of respondents felt that Web3 represents innovation and technological frontiers. At the same time, they instinctively compare Web3 to the early mobile internet era. 'They often make such comparisons, believing that the current Web3 is like the early mobile internet 10 or 12 years ago,' recalled a headhunter.
This data further confirms the harsh requirement for newcomers in the Web3 industry to prioritize 'experience'. However, in practice, this seems to fall into a paradox: how can newcomers without experience gain 'experience' in this industry?
Faced with such dilemmas, many newcomers have turned their attention to 'job-seeking intermediaries'. Starting in the second half of 2023, a large number of Web3 training institutions emerged in the market, promoting 'employment guarantees', 'zero foundation career changes', and 'simulated project experiences' as selling points, attempting to fill the gaps in 'experience thresholds' and 'entry paths'.
It is understood that the fees for these training institutions range from 15,000 to 30,000 RMB, essentially allowing job seekers to exchange money for a 'professional identity'; however, this model quickly exposes problems in reality:
· Course content is severely outdated. Many training institutions remain stuck in the 2021 DeFi boom period, and the teaching content has not kept pace with the industry's rhythm, already disconnected from current market hotspots and actual needs. CoinGecko data shows that there are currently over 20,000 active Web3 projects distributed across more than 20 sub-fields, with hotspot update cycles measured in weeks, making traditional systematic learning paths hard to adapt.
· 'Project experience' contains elements of fabrication. Multiple trainees have reported that the so-called practical projects are merely the instructor discussing basic operations like AMAs and community management in the group, ultimately fabricating project experiences through synthesized images or 'packaged resumes'.
· The so-called 'employment protection' often turns into 'selling internships'. Some institutions promise employment services that actually just involve mass sending of resumes, and the so-called 'good news' is often just securing an unpaid or low-paid internship opportunity. *AMA: Ask me anything, in the context of Web3, refers to an open Q&A activity format where project members engage with the community through channels like Twitter space. It can be understood as a form of live broadcast but only with sound.
1. Non-technical positions: Operations and BD
Among all non-technical positions, operations and BD are widely regarded as 'the essentials among essentials'. Regardless of how niche the Web3 project is or how streamlined the team is, these two roles are needed to connect with the market, integrate resources, and drive growth. As headhunter Kevin stated, 'Positions that can deliver direct output are the most scarce positions.'
It is precisely for this reason that these positions have become the first landing point for many newcomers. According to BlockBeats' survey of job seekers, 46.88% prefer BD/marketing and other 'external growth' directions, while another 40.63% lean towards community operations and content creation 'user engagement' positions. This indicates that among non-technical paths, 'growth' and 'community' remain the most favored job-seeking tracks.
Behind this lies a pragmatic and efficient logic of hiring: on one hand, Web3 projects are generally small in scale and fast-paced, leaving little extra capacity for zero-based training; on the other hand, they are willing to seek 'trainable talent' through a 'low-cost trial and error' approach, akin to scratching off potential lottery tickets.
As a project leader bluntly stated, 'We are not against bringing in newcomers, but they need to show me their drive. You have to take a few steps first so that I know you are serious.'
This point is not limited to project parties; the same applies to campus recruitment at trading platforms. In 2025, Bitget received over 10,000 resumes and ultimately admitted 28 fresh graduates, nearly half of whom did not have a systematic Web3 background. What they shared was not a mature resume but a signal of 'being trustworthy and worthy of cultivation'.
'We always believe that potential outweighs experience.' Bitget HR emphasizes that the team pays special attention to growth willingness, self-drive, and plasticity during the screening process, which is also why many 'zero-experience' newcomers can smoothly enter.
This also means that you do not need a 'job' to start taking action. Many who truly succeed in this field did not start by sending resumes but by actively participating and accumulating experience.
· If you want to do operations, you can first choose a project of interest, become active in their Discord group, and proactively apply to be a MOD (Moderator, community manager) to understand the industry rhythm through practice.
· If you want to create content, you can find KOLs or authors you like, proactively communicate and express your views; even a high-quality comment may be the beginning.
· If you want to do technical work, you can start with languages like Solidity or Rust, then try writing according to online tutorials, and understand their contracts through the documentation of open-source projects. Also, participate in industry Hackathons to team up with like-minded individuals to practice and then discuss ideas with projects of interest.
This is the reality of Web3 hiring mechanisms: there is no definite path, but ample space for 'trying it out'. Rather than waiting to be 'ready', it is better to start moving. Accumulating trust through action is always more realistic than waiting for a perfect path.
In summary: Experience is important, but 'willingness to take the first step' is even more important.
2. Being Seen: Step Out, Proactively Socialize
If the first question addresses the 'whether to take action' issue, then this section aims to solve 'where to take action' — the answer is: among the crowd.
The Web3 industry has a characteristic that is completely different from traditional industries: there is no job-seeking system. There are no standardized recruitment websites, no standardized interview processes, and many projects do not even have HR. In this situation, the industry has begun to revert to the most primitive talent matching methods: internal referrals and acquaintance introductions.
'We will not post job advertisements.' A project leader said directly, 'Who is reliable and capable, we just bring them in to try. It mainly relies on recommendations from acquaintances; two or three people can quickly fill the positions.'
It sounds like an ad-hoc setup, but many positions are indeed established this way. Especially for early projects, with few people and fast-paced work, rather than spending time filtering resumes, it's better to find someone 'who is known', even if they are not perfect, they can start working immediately.
For them, 'reliable' and 'trustworthy' take precedence over 'good academic background' and 'extensive experience'. It's not that they don't consider backgrounds; it's just that there is no time to infer 'whether this person can handle the situation' from their backgrounds.
Thus, the core logic of finding work in Web3 is also quite simple: you must first appear in their vision. You need to ensure that when others have needs, they remember you — this is the recruitment logic of this industry.
For students, the most stable way to 'be seen' is to join the university blockchain association (hereinafter referred to as the chain association).
On one hand, the chain association helps new members clear their understanding of foundational blockchain knowledge and learn about industry operations through public classes and internal lectures; on the other hand, it continuously connects alumni resources and collaborative projects, providing members with opportunities for internships, part-time jobs, or volunteer participation.
In addition, many chain associations also hold public activities for the industry, such as organizing AMAs, co-hosting offline meetups, or participating in Hackathons and other event preparations. These activities not only allow members to interact with project parties and practitioners earlier but also, in an intangible way, establish the chain association's 'trust endorsement' in the industry.
'We are not specifically doing recruitment, but project parties often ask us if we have any recommended candidates,' said a chain association organizer. 'So we have a group that brings project parties and students together; whoever lacks personnel can directly post job information in the group, and students can directly add HR to chat.'
Some recruitment activities in the industry will also directly connect with chain associations. For instance, Bitget's overseas campus recruitment for 2024-2025 held offline presentations at several overseas target schools.
For project parties, this mechanism significantly reduces screening costs; for students, it also provides a relatively safe testing ground. Many people's first Web3 experience often starts from the chain association.
If your school does not have a chain association, don't worry. Most associations' activities are open to all students and will provide similar student subsidies; you can keep an eye on relevant information.
In addition to the chain association, participating in offline activities is also an important way to establish industry connections.
'We prefer to go to offline events to make connections; it's really hard to remember people online,' a project party admitted. 'Using resumes or avatars to judge a person is too mystical; trust is very important in Web3, and connections must be established offline.' Compared to traditional recruitment processes, this is closer to a fate-based recruitment method. 'Many people just meet a few times at events; later, when there happens to be a vacancy, they directly ask if you want to try it out.'
This is not a game of one interaction equals one offer; it is a process of repeated participation and multiple conversations that allows the other party to remember you, recognize you, and trust you.
In addition to traditional chain associations and offline activities, there are also some platforms and projects in the industry actively building 'connecting bridges' to provide more structured entry for newcomers lacking connections, which can be actively monitored. For example, Bitget's Blockchain4Youth public welfare program provides systematic industry guidance for newcomers through various means, including setting up scholarships in collaboration with the University of Zurich to support students in deeply participating in Web3 research and project practice; launching the #Web3 Insider video series in collaboration with the Web3 career platform Bondex (equivalent to LinkedIn for the Web3 industry) focusing on job introductions and job-seeking paths, helping newcomers better understand industry needs and possible entry methods.
In the current industry context lacking recruitment infrastructure, focusing on these resources can provide clearer entry paths for newcomers without networking backgrounds.
It's worth noting that socializing does not equal being a social butterfly; proactive socializing does not mean that introverted people don't have opportunities. In the Web3 field, the following methods are equally effective:
· Small-scale deep connections: Rather than meeting 20 people at an event, it is better to establish deep connections with 3-5 truly compatible individuals. Introverts often excel at one-on-one in-depth conversations, which is the best way to build trust.
· High-density community participation: Focus on 2-3 high-quality small circles or communities, becoming an active contributor within them is more effective than spreading widely. In small circles, your professional abilities are easier to be seen and remembered.
· Content replaces small talk: By writing technical blogs, sharing project retrospectives, publishing thought summaries, etc., let your professional abilities actively 'find' suitable people. Many introverted technical experts have established strong personal brands through continuous content output.
In summary, Web3 recruitment is often not about 'who is applying' but rather 'who among the people I know can do this'. This is a byproduct of the 'lack of standardized recruitment mechanisms' but indeed emphasizes fate.
You don't necessarily have to perform excellently, but you must be trusted, at least be 'known' by someone.
Under this logic, proactively stepping out, making yourself visible, and building trust have become essential courses in Web3 job seeking. Whether you are through the chain association, offline activities, or online content output, the key is to continuously appear in the industry's vision and become someone 'they can think of'.
3. What can stay: Initiative and communication collaboration skills.
If entering the field relies on being seen, then staying relies on being trusted. And the ones who truly earn trust are not the qualifications on a resume but whether they can demonstrate initiative and communication skills in their work.
BlockBeats' research on employers shows that 96.55% of recruiters value 'initiative/execution ability' the most, and 62.07% value 'communication and writing skills'. In other words, whether a newcomer can independently push things forward and articulate complex issues clearly is more important than whether they are an 'old hand' in the crypto field. In actual projects, qualifications are no longer the decisive factor; instead, whether one can quickly enter a state of 'can deliver, can collaborate' is the standard for measuring retention value.
Faced with these significantly different entry paths, we conducted in-depth interviews and comparisons of two typical directions: trading platforms and project parties, attempting to restore the real ecology within them, providing job seekers with a more valuable career map.
These two paths each have their pros and cons and are tailored to different backgrounds, ability structures, and preferences of job seekers.
(1) Project parties: Not afraid of 'doing odd jobs', getting close to the core through internships and part-time jobs
Most Web3 project parties are early-stage entrepreneurial teams, small in scale with short decision chains. Due to the lack of systematic training systems, these teams are generally less inclined to 'hire' but very willing to 'employ' — as long as you can immediately get started and solve problems, it does not matter whether your identity is part-time, remote, or intern.
This 'deliver to earn trust' logic in hiring is very common among Web3 project parties. For them, hiring the wrong person is costly; rather than 'cultivating from scratch', it is better to 'try at low cost' to discover teachable talent.
Lynn is a core member of a Web3 startup project, with a team of only five full-time and three part-time members, small enough to eliminate the need for an office. She openly stated, 'We actually don't recruit much because it's hard for us to survive.' Yet even so, she still hired some interns through friend recommendations to handle operations or technical work, earning between $500 and $1,000 a month for a few hours of work each day. This budget is even higher than some e-commerce internships, and it is remote and 'easy', but she does not feel it is generous. 'I only care about the results; as long as you can deliver, it's worth it for me,' she said with a smile.
This configuration is significant for project sides: costs are controllable, burdens are light, and they can withdraw at any time. If an intern performs excellently, the team feels it has 'struck gold'; if not suitable, they can stop losses quickly without generating sunk costs. In the context of generally short project lifecycles and highly uncertain cash flows, such arrangements not only avoid the risk of excessive labor costs but also provide a margin for error.
Of course, for newcomers, this path is full of uncertainties: you may be 'the person doing the core tasks', or you might just be 'the one doing odd jobs'. But it is undeniable that it is one of the few opportunities that can be 'seen directly'.
More importantly, it is one of the few real windows to get close to the founders and directly understand product and market decisions. You will participate in actual business operations, grasp the rhythm of community management, and may even get involved in financing and ecological cooperation processes, gaining growth density far beyond traditional internship experiences.
Of course, it is not suitable for everyone: there are no training programs, no promotion channels, and everything relies on self-exploration. Today you may be leading growth strategies, and tomorrow you could be 'optimized' due to team restructuring. But for those willing to trade practical experience for learning, able to accept volatility, and not afraid to start from scratch, this is one of the true ways to 'enter the front line' in the Web3 industry.
(2) Trading platforms becoming 'new large factories': Systematic training and stable growth paths
If the project side is a high-risk high-reward 'free fight', then centralized trading platforms provide a more 'standardized' way to enter.
Compared to the common acquaintance referral and community internal recommendation mechanisms of project parties, trading platforms offer more open and transparent recruitment channels, fixed processes, and clear milestones, providing newcomers with clearer entry paths. Taking Bitget as an example, its campus recruitment and internship positions are regularly published on its official website, LinkedIn, social media, and the internal networks of target universities. Allen, who previously worked at a Web2 giant, directly applied for the AI product position at Bitget after seeing the recruitment notice on LinkedIn and received an interview invitation within a few days.
In addition to having clear channels, job supply is also much richer than outsiders imagine. By the end of 2024, a leading trading platform opened over 500 positions simultaneously in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, covering multiple functional modules such as product, operations, growth, risk control, and security. Another newly launched trading platform also completed a core team expansion of nearly a hundred people in a short time. 'If it doesn't reach this scale, it basically can't operate,' said a recruitment manager in the industry.
This intense recruitment demand is driven by the high-density operational structure that platform-type organizations need to bear: they must serve global users while dealing with complex technical operations, ecological construction, and regulatory compliance. To ensure the efficient operation of this system, most trading platforms set up dedicated HR teams, build clear job ranking systems, and strengthen inter-departmental collaboration mechanisms. Compared to the loosely organized and resource-limited project side, trading platforms have a more robust organizational foundation that 'can accommodate newcomers and support growth'.
Bitget's campus recruitment is a microcosm of this structured mechanism. In 2025, its campus recruitment project received over 10,000 resumes, ultimately admitting only 28 fresh graduates, entering core business modules such as technology, product, regional growth, global branding, and global operations, almost covering the entire main chain of the crypto business.
What is friendlier for newcomers is that compared to many project sides' 'must hit the ground running' logic, trading platforms provide a more forgiving growth space and clearer support systems. Among this group of newcomers, a significant portion had not directly engaged in Web3-related jobs before, but with clear expression abilities, curiosity about the industry, and willingness to learn, they still won job offers.
After joining the team, newcomers will undergo onboarding training covering industry knowledge, job skills, and cultural philosophy; each person is paired with a direct mentor, while HRBP regularly tracks performance and development needs, supporting horizontal rotation and cross-departmental attempts. This mechanism not only helps newcomers quickly locate their roles but also ensures they have a relatively clear development path in an uncertain industry.
In actual execution, this mechanism has also shown positive effects.
Hazel, a campus recruiter in Bitget's branding department, shared that while participating in Bitget's large marketing project 'Bitget Anti-Scam Month', the team provided a SOP framework and resource coordination support from creative planning to execution, allowing her to lead the entire campaign in just three months. Another campus recruiter, Joseph, mentioned that in the data dashboard project, the mentor provided full support, covering business challenges while teaching him how to break down problems and review processes step by step, allowing him to independently support operational data needs within a few months of joining.
Of course, the trading platform path is not without its shortcomings. Compared to the 'generalists' and 'core close contact' of project parties, trading platforms have more refined functional divisions and more mature processes. This means that in certain positions, personal expression space and innovation flexibility may be limited; for newcomers eager to lead products and frequently experiment, growth speed may be constrained.
Who is it suitable for? Those who wish to obtain systematic training, need stable cash flow, and plan to stay in the industry for the long term. Especially job seekers who hope to start from understanding the overall industry and 'slowly grow' within a stable structure find trading platforms a trustworthy starting point.
In summary, there is no standard answer on how to enter Web3; there are only more suitable entrances.
· If you are eager to learn quickly, get close to the industry's core, and willing to bear uncertainty, the project side may be your training ground.
· If you hope to start steadily, have systematic support, and plan for the long term, trading platforms may be more suitable as your first stop.
What truly matters is whether you can accumulate trust through action, establish a position through output — platforms are just paths; growth still depends on you.
4. Conclusion: It's not about finding a Web3 job, but about finding ways to create value.
When we look back at the full scope of this in-depth research, a clear picture emerges: Web3 is not only an emerging industry but also an experimental field that is redefining 'careers' themselves. In this space, traditional job-seeking logic is being overturned, and new ways of value creation are emerging.
For everyone involved, the true meaning of seeking jobs in Web3 is not just finding a 'Web3 job' but learning a new way of working, thinking, and living. The core is shifting from 'adapting to the world' to 'creating the world'.
During this process, you will discover:
The best jobs are not found; they are created.
The best opportunities are not those that are waited for but those that are created.
The best future is not planned; it is the result of action.
Web3 is not the end, but a starting point. It teaches us how to find certainty amid uncertainty, identify opportunities amid change, and establish order amid chaos.
The long river of history continually indicates: in the transition of times, it is often not those who embrace change that perish, but those who cling to the old ways and resist transformation.
The benefits of the times will eventually pass, but the ability to embrace change will become your timeless foundational asset. Regardless of how Web3 evolves in the future, those who dare to act, continue to learn, and keep creating will always find their place in the next cycle.
Note: The individuals mentioned in the text are all pseudonyms.