If you have browsed through job-seeking forums, listened to Web3 podcasts, or attended a "Blockchain + Career" event, you have most likely heard these keywords: "Industry Boom, Lucrative Income, Remote Work, Flat Hierarchy, Young Team".

Web3 is becoming a "new frontier" in the job-seeking imagination of young people. Over the past two years, an increasing number of graduates have begun to attempt to "get on-chain." Not only those from a technical and financial background, but also non-technical individuals in fields such as marketing, operations, design, content, and product, have started to polish their resumes and venture into this seemingly flexible and cutting-edge industry.

However, beneath the trend, opportunities and misunderstandings coexist. On one side, project teams are calling out for "hiring," while newcomers are shouting out that they can't "get in." Behind the seemingly open entrance lies a recruiting logic that is still taking shape.

To clarify this issue, in June 2025, BlockBeats and Bitget jointly launched an in-depth interview and survey to the crypto community, focusing on job seekers and employers. Information was collected on career choices, recruitment paths, job preferences, and other dimensions, with a total of 71 valid survey responses received. Simultaneously, interviews were conducted with individuals in roles such as students, professionals, HR personnel, well-known industry headhunters, and job platform leaders.

Based on cross-validated quantitative and qualitative data, this article attempts to retrospect on what has happened in the Web3 job market over the past two years from the dual perspectives of recruitment and job-seeking: Who is entering, who is hiring, and who is staying? And a more practical question: Does a newcomer with zero experience really have the opportunity to break through in this "decentralized" professional jungle?

I. From Testing the Waters to Flooding In: What Changes Have Occurred in Web3 Job Seeking Over the Past Two Years?

Over the past two years, the Web3 job seeking ecosystem has quietly transformed from "accepting all comers" to "meticulous selection." This industry, once seen as a frontier experimental ground, is gradually becoming the realistic choice for more and more outstanding graduates.

Today, Web3 is no longer an exclusive domain of geeks and speculators; waves of elite talents are actively joining in.

(A) From Small Circles to "Top 5 University + Ivy League," Who Is Flooding Into Web3?

"Is this position still hiring recently?"

Kitty has gotten used to this question. As the head of a Web3 recruiting platform, she receives numerous resumes from college students every week. With backgrounds from top Chinese universities, overseas undergraduate and graduate degrees, competition resumes, investment banking internships... the quality of these resumes is completely different from the days two years ago when "as long as you are willing, you can be hired."

As a deep participant in Web3 recruitment, Kitty clearly feels that this industry is undergoing a shift in job seeker structure. If early participants were mostly tech enthusiasts or savvy speculators, today's job seekers are more like high-achieving students attracted to the concept of the "next era."

Research by BlockBeats reveals that among respondents to the Web3 job-seeking survey, nearly 80.5% come from first-tier Chinese universities, with 36.6% from first-tier Project 985/211 universities and a significant 43.9% from other first-tier universities; furthermore, 7.3% of job seekers have overseas educational backgrounds, while only 12.2% come from vocational schools or other institutions. Nearly 78.05% of the respondents expressed willingness to make Web3 their first job. This data indicates that Web3 is transitioning from a "niche" field to a "mainstream choice," attracting more and more highly educated talent.

Looking at their professional backgrounds, these highly educated job seekers are not lacking in options. BlockBeats' research shows that among respondents to the Web3 job-seeking survey, 46.34% are from computer science and information technology-related disciplines, while 21.95% have backgrounds in finance and business. They originally had the opportunity to enter more stable traditional industries and were competitive in mainstream industries such as large corporations, securities firms, and banks.

(2) A More Realistic Choice: Why Are Newcomers Coming to Web3?

Why are these "elites" who could have taken a more stable path actively choosing to join a track with greater volatility and less established rules? This is not blind speculation but a rational shift under real pressure. To understand their choice, we must look back at what the "traditional path" they were supposed to take looks like today.

Batty is a recent graduate of the Class of 2025, holding a degree from a top-tier Chinese university, with investment banking internships and passing Level III of the CFA exam, completing her impressive financial background. Following the "standard path," she thought she could at least secure a decent and stable job. However, at the end of the 2024 autumn recruitment season, she only received an offer for a back-office position at a bank with a monthly net pay of less than 10,000 RMB.

This was far from her expectations. So, instead of immediately accepting the offer, she began frequently searching on social platforms for keywords such as "Web3 job" and "How to enter Web3 with 0 experience," trying to find a "non-traditional but potentially future-oriented" path.

Her story is not unique. For many young people with a financial background, Web3 is no longer just a concept but has become a practical way to escape the "rat race."

Between 2022 and 2024, the traditional financial industry went through a profound period of adjustment. Roles in finance, once seen as "golden rice bowls," are losing their former prestige, with the industry as a whole facing the harsh reality of job cuts, salary reductions, and intensified rat race culture.

This trend is particularly evident in the employment of graduates. Major brokerage firms that used to hire large numbers of new graduates opened only a few hundred positions during the 2024 autumn recruitment season. The total number of front-office positions in the entire investment banking market was only about 500, far less than the recruitment volume of a single institution in 2022. Reports emerged of mass layoffs at firms like Citic Securities and GF Securities, shattering the stability myth of a financial industry "golden rice bowl."

As the number of positions shrinks, the entry barrier continues to rise. "High education + prestigious school background + multiple internships" has become the basic requirement, and qualifications such as the CFA certificate, programming skills, macro perspective, English writing, and investment research frameworks have gradually become the "tickets" for entry. Job seekers are eagerly joining the "employment competition" in hopes of standing out.

More and more students are caught in fierce job competition, but high input doesn't necessarily lead to high returns. According to data from Zhaopin, in 2024, the starting salary for frontline employees in state-owned major banks in first-tier cities mostly ranged from 7000 to 10000 yuan, with an annual bonus of only about 20,000-30,000 yuan; in non-first-tier cities, it can be as low as 5000 yuan. "After deducting social security and housing fund contributions, then paying rent and transportation expenses, there's not much left," said a graduate who joined a state-owned bank.

Faced with the contraction of the traditional financial sector, many financial graduates are turning their attention to Web2, hoping to find new opportunities in the internet industry. But this path is not easy either. On the one hand, after the wave of layoffs in 2022-2023, internet giants significantly reduced their recruitment, leading to equally fierce competition for positions. On the other hand, transitioning from finance to the internet also requires overcoming skill gaps and industry understanding, making the job search no easier than before.

Since the mainstream paths of finance and tech giants are hard to follow, the question arises: Why haven't these young people chosen the equally popular and seemingly more promising AI industry?

After all, AI is one of the hottest trends today. A certain company launched a top internship program paying 3500 yuan per day, while a top project in a certain universe attracted numerous young talents from prestigious universities with a daily wage of 2000 yuan. On social media, the "rise of AI" has almost become a consensus, as if boarding this train will guarantee a certain future.

However, the reality is not that simple. Whether from a technical or non-technical background, establishing oneself in the AI industry is not easy.

For non-technical job seekers, AI is nearly a closed threshold. Without algorithmic foundations or engineering experience, one can only engage in peripheral tasks such as content operation, data annotation, or model management. These positions not only face fierce competition and limited development opportunities but are also easily replaceable by automated tools. It's not like Web3, where one can break through the barriers through community, content, and operation.

Even for those with a technical background, it is not a walk in the park. Core positions are highly concentrated in top-tier companies and research institutions, almost requiring a doctoral degree or algorithm competition experience by default. Many job seekers, even if they enter the field, can only handle tasks like model fine-tuning, hyperparameter tuning, bug fixing, and other marginal work, lacking creative space. Little A, who is looking for Web3 opportunities, admits, "Large companies do work on AI, but the job itself is not very innovative. Much of it is fine-tuning, and there's even 996 work culture, which is not very meaningful."

In the stage of rapid AI development where job structures have not yet overflowed, the industry is indeed full of imagination, but that does not mean there is a place for ordinary individuals. It may be a "trend," but not necessarily an "opportunity."

(3) What Makes Web3 So Attractive?

When the traditional path becomes crowded or even blocked, some people start turning to those not yet fully defined in the new world. Web3 is one such choice. Compared to traditional finance and Internet giants, some "atypical features" of Web3 are increasingly attracting job seekers: high salaries and remote work.

According to a survey published by BlockBeats targeting Web3 job seekers, it can be seen that high salary and remote work are indeed key factors that most respondents consider when entering the Web3 industry. 82.93% of respondents believe that Web3 has great salary potential, and 73.17% value its abundant remote work opportunities.

This phenomenon sharply contrasts with the salary contraction in traditional industries. Web3 projects often offer immediate and substantial returns. According to salary statistics from Web3 Career, as of June 2025, even for entry-level positions, the annual salary generally does not fall below $50,000, approximately RMB 350,000 (calculated at an exchange rate of 1 USD ≈ 7.15 CNY).

Data Source: Web3 Career, June 2025 Statistics
Chart showing the global salary ranges for non-technical (top chart) and technical (bottom chart) Web3 positions at different experience levels

While the salary levels in Asia are relatively lower, for job seekers with excellent English skills, "geographical arbitrage" becomes possible—meaning earning income in Western markets while enjoying a relatively lower cost of living domestically.

Data Source: Web3 Career, June 2025 Statistics
Chart showing the average annual salaries for non-technical (top chart) and technical (bottom chart) Web3 positions segmented by region

More importantly, compared to traditional tech giants, the Web3 industry offers a "non-burnout" work environment. Many professionals who have transitioned from traditional internet companies to Web3 have mentioned a significant reduction in work intensity. A product manager who moved from a tech giant to Web3 said, "I came to Web3 purely because of better pay and the exhaustion from the intense workload at the tech giant."

Image Source: Crypto Community. In the current environment where "high-pressure overtime and mid-30s anxiety" is the norm at Web2 tech giants, this work style is nearly utopian.

Simultaneously, the remote work options provided by Web3 have become a major attraction for students.

According to Metarficial's research report, 53.39% of Web3 jobs are fully remote, 25.08% follow a hybrid work model, and only about 12.01% of positions truly require long-term in-office presence, significantly lower than the traditional finance and tech industries.

A BlockBeats survey targeting employers similarly indicates that online remote work has become the mainstream collaboration method for the majority of Web3 teams. In the context of globalized teams and project-driven work, remote work not only saves commute time but also gives young job seekers more autonomy in balancing work pace and lifestyle.

Currently working in the Data Analysis team at Bitget Operations Center, campus recruit Joseph expressed that as a typical i-person (introverted), remote work allows her to efficiently collaborate with various departments from home, reducing commuting stress and instead enhancing work efficiency and comfort. Ricardo, also a Bitget campus recruit, had a similar experience. He detests spending time commuting and finds that the pace of Web3 work aligns perfectly with his lifestyle—even if he occasionally needs to post on social media after work, it is a breeze for him as he is deeply involved in the on-chain ecosystem.

In addition, a survey conducted by BlockBeats targeting Web3 job seekers found that 82.93% of respondents believe that Web3 represents innovation and cutting-edge technology. At the same time, they instinctively liken Web3 to the early days of the mobile internet era. "They often make this analogy to me, believing that the current state of Web3 is similar to what the early mobile internet was like 10 or 12 years ago." a headhunter recalled.

For these students, Web3 is still in a stage where it is "not yet structured and dominated by giants." The underlying technology has matured to some extent, the infrastructure is gradually improving, but truly scalable user applications have not yet emerged—this precisely presents the biggest window of opportunity.

It is this "imagined boom" that is driving a large number of talents from a Web2 background to enter this race track. They generally believe that now is the best time to "reboot a path to success."

II. Newbie Breaking into Web3: Web3, Which Seems "Hard to Enter," Is Actually in Need of Talent

Although the Web3 industry continues to attract a large influx of newcomers, the reality of the "landing rate" is not optimistic. "Web3 is not friendly to newcomers," this is the most direct feeling of many job seekers. Interestingly, in stark contrast to the difficulty newcomers face in seeking employment, project teams are also shouting that they "can't find the right people."

Web3 blogger Hamburger Cat revealed that trading platforms and project teams are generally facing recruitment difficulties, to the extent that they are willing to pay headhunter fees equivalent to 20% of the annual salary. Given the generally high salaries in Web3, this implies that the onboarding cost is often as high as fifty to sixty thousand yuan or even more. Yet, even so, the recruitment process often experiences delays of several months.

This presents a paradox: on the one hand, it is difficult for newcomers to break into the Web3 industry, and on the other hand, employers are struggling to find suitable talent. The root of the problem is not the lack of skills among job seekers but the absence of an effective talent ecosystem.

（1）Why Is Your Resume Getting Lost in the Sea?

1. Lack of Recruitment Infrastructure

"I don't even know where to submit my resume," this is the first issue that countless newcomers face when job hunting in the Web3 industry.

In the traditional Internet era, the recruitment system represented by platforms like LinkedIn and Boss Zhipin has long been mature: job positions are highly standardized, the interview process is relatively fixed, and job seekers have clear application channels.

However, in the Web3 industry, similar infrastructure has not yet been established. Although there are already some dedicated job sites on the market, the vast majority of job postings are still scattered across Twitter, Telegram groups, Notion pages, or Google forms; recruitment processes vary greatly between different projects, and evaluation criteria differ from person to person; many teams do not even have dedicated HR personnel, let alone a systematic recruitment mechanism.

"Recruitment in this industry has never been formalized," Kitty (head of a recruitment platform) bluntly stated. Compared to the mature recruitment processes and HR mechanisms of Web2, the human resources configuration of most Web3 projects can be described as "chaotic."

Situations she has encountered include: some teams do not have dedicated HR personnel; interviewers may be "multitasking" individuals responsible for recruitment, finance, and community operations all at once; and some HR personnel directly eliminate all candidates with Web2 experience simply because the boss said, "We want someone who is Web3 native."

"The reason many newcomers' resumes are getting lost in the sea is not because HR is intentionally ignoring them, but due to the lack of a systemic mechanism as a whole," Kitty explained, making job seekers and employers remain in a long-term "missed connection" state. This non-standardized recruitment ecosystem is a microcosm of the "wild growth" of the Web3 industry.

2. The Failure of Educational Advantage and Experience Paradox

In addition, the advantage of having a prestigious university degree in the traditional job market does not fully apply in the Web3 field; even a master's degree from the top 20 universities in the QS ranking may not secure an internship opportunity. The core of this contradiction lies in the fact that employers need talent who can "hit the ground running," while newcomers generally lack verifiable "hands-on experience."

According to a BlockBeats survey of employers, the Web3 industry does not prioritize a "prestigious education" for newcomers, but rather values practical experience and understanding. Among the employers surveyed, nearly 68.97% hope that newcomers have a deep industry understanding or practical project experience, meaning that being knowledgeable is often more competitive than attending a prestigious university. Additionally, 51.72% of employers value English proficiency, reflecting the industry's international communication environment, while only 44.83% of employers have expectations regarding educational background, which is not the majority.

This data further confirms the Web3 industry's strict requirement for newcomers to have "experience above all." However, in practice, this seems to have fallen into a paradox: how can inexperienced newcomers gain "experience" in this industry?

Faced with this dilemma, many newcomers have turned their focus to "job intermediaries." Starting in the second half of 2023, a large number of Web3 training institutions have emerged in the market, emphasizing "job guarantees," "career switch with 0 foundation," and "simulated project experience," attempting to fill the gap in "experience thresholds" and "entry paths."

It is understood that the fees of 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 exposed issues in reality:

· Severe lag in course content. Many training institutions are still stuck in the DeFi craze of 2021, with educational content failing to keep up with the industry's pace, already out of touch with current market trends and actual demands. According to CoinGecko data, the current active Web3 projects have exceeded 20,000, distributed across over 20 subfields, with hot topics updating on a weekly basis, making it difficult for the traditional systemic learning path to adapt;

· "Project experience" has a fraudulent element. Several students have provided feedback that the so-called practical projects are actually just teachers discussing basic operations like AMAs and community management in the group chat. Ultimately, through synthetic imagery or "resume padding," they fabricate project experiences;

· The so-called "job guarantee" often degrades into a form of "selling internships." Some institutions' promised employment services are essentially just resume spamming on behalf of the students, and the so-called "good news" often only results in obtaining an unpaid or low-paid internship opportunity.

*AMA: Short for "Ask Me Anything," in the Web3 context, it refers to a form of activity where project members engage in open Q&A with the community through channels like Twitter Spaces. It can be understood as a type of live audio Q&A, similar to live streaming with audio only.

Interestingly, the audience for this type of training does not have low educational backgrounds: those from top universities in China, a Master's degree from the National University of Singapore, and backgrounds in investment banks are all part of it. They often lack not in capability, but in knowing how to explore this opaque and feedback-deficient industry path.

「They just want to switch careers, but they really don't know how to do it, are unwilling to face it themselves, and spend time and effort exploring that uncertainty. They think, I'll just pay some money, and you give me a certain path.」 said one job seeker observer.

（2）Which Positions Are Easier for Newcomers to Break Into

Before discussing how to enter Web3, we must first understand: What positions is the market really lacking? And which positions are most open to newcomers?

According to BlockBeats' employer-oriented research, Operations and BD (Business Development) are the most concentrated positions in current recruitment needs, with 86.21% of surveyed employers stating that they are currently recruiting or have sought newcomers in this field; followed by technical positions, accounting for 51.72%; research positions come third with 48.28%.

1. Non-Technical Positions: Operations and BD

Among all non-technical positions, Operations and BD are generally regarded as the "most essential of essentials." Regardless of how niche the Web3 project is, or how streamlined the team size is, these two types of positions are needed to connect with the market, integrate resources, and drive growth. As headhunter Kevin said, "Positions that can directly contribute output are the most scarce."

It is for this reason that these positions have become the first foothold for many newcomers. According to BlockBeats' survey of job seekers, 46.88% of people tend to lean towards BD/marketing and other "external growth" directions, while another 40.63% prefer community operations and content creation, among other "user engagement" positions. This indicates that in non-technical paths, "growth" and "community" are still the most favored job tracks.

However, job popularity does not mean stable development. Newcomers should be wary that Operations and BD positions generally exhibit the characteristic of "easy to enter, difficult to retain."

Snow was originally working in an SOE (State-Owned Enterprise) in administration. In mid-2023, she decided to go "all in Web3." She joined a startup project in the RWA (Real World Asset) space, taking on operations and community management, where "every day, content, activities, and community all had to be done by herself." Although she quickly got the hang of it, three months later, she was still informed of a "team restructuring, no renewal of contract."

「I didn't make a mistake, I just got optimized.」 she said calmly, 「Later, I found out that they actually found someone who could create content and drive growth.」 It was the first time she realized that some positions, although in high demand, also had a high turnover rate.

Snow's experience is not an isolated case but a microcosm of the Web3 job market. Non-technical roles, while relatively easy to get into, require a high level of comprehensive skills. Roles such as Operations and Business Development not only require traditional marketing skills but also a deep understanding of blockchain technology, familiarity with various DeFi protocols, mastery of the unique dynamics of community management, as well as keen market insight and strong resource integration abilities.

2. Technical Roles: Accumulate On-Chain Experience

Comparatively, technical roles exhibit a structural contradiction of being "hot at the extremes but cold in the middle."

On the one hand, high-end technical roles have been in long-term demand: Cryptography experts, ZK engineers, security architects, on-chain auditors, and other positions highly rely on a Ph.D. level of education or years of on-chain development experience, with many talents already engaged in entrepreneurship or infrastructure development. As one practitioner stated, "Those who truly understand on-chain logic have all gone to start their own businesses."

On the other hand, entry-level "Web2 Transition" technical roles (such as front-end development, wallet integration, etc.) have long been a battleground. These positions do not require much on-chain experience, attracting a large number of traditional Internet engineers to enter, leading to increasingly fierce competition.

For newcomers, the core challenge is: How to find their entry point between these two extremes?

In fact, many Web3 projects still have a demand for developers who "possess development capabilities and understand on-chain interaction logic." Especially in daily development tasks such as contract interaction and oracle calls, these "all-around" talents are not extremely rare, but a stable supply is not sufficient. To reach this level, the most crucial accumulation is practical on-chain experience. For example, learning basic contract languages, reading documentation of open-source projects, and participating in real project collaborations.

Therefore, for newcomers hoping to enter the Web3 space through technical roles, instead of building experience in peripheral positions, it is better to seek on-chain practical opportunities early on. By accumulating a "feel for the chain" through avenues such as Hackathons, open-source projects, collaborative development, one can carve out a space of their own amidst overcrowding or high-end saturation.

3. The Right Way to Succeed in Entering the Circle

1. Dare to Start: Starting first is more important than having experience

Many newcomers to Web3 often find themselves in a common dilemma: not knowing how to get involved.

They worry about their lack of experience, are afraid to take the initiative, and can only hope for the traditional path—submitting resumes, waiting for interviews, and being "recruited in."

However, this kind of thinking may be fundamentally wrong. In fact, when we truly step into the recruitment scene, we find a significant discrepancy: many project teams show unexpected patience and favoritism toward "potential newcomers."

The BlockBeats survey for employers also shows that, compared to experience, employers value rapid learning and self-driven abilities more. In a recruitment priority scoring, "rapid learning and self-driven" scored 3.41, higher than the understanding of Web3 basic concepts at 2.14 and English proficiency at 1.79, while "having some industry experience" ranked last, at only 1.41.

Behind this is a pragmatic and efficient hiring logic: on the one hand, Web3 projects are generally small in scale and fast-paced, with not much extra capacity for zero-based nurturing; on the other hand, they are willing to find "teachable talents" through a "low-cost trial and error" approach, much like scratching a potential lottery ticket.

As a project lead bluntly put it: "We are not against bringing in newcomers, but they have to show me their effort. You have to take a few steps on your own first, let me know you are serious."

This point is not limited to project teams and also holds true for exchanges' campus recruitment. In 2025, Bitget received over ten thousand resumes, ultimately hiring 28 fresh graduates, nearly half of whom did not have a systematic Web3 background. What they all had in common was not a mature resume, but a signal of being "trustworthy and worth cultivating."

"We have always believed that potential is more important than a resume." Bitget's HR emphasized that the team pays special attention to willingness to grow, self-drive, and malleability in the screening process, and this is also the reason why many "zero-experience" newcomers can successfully enter the industry.

This also means: you don't need a "job" to start taking action. Many truly successful individuals in the industry did not start by submitting resumes but by actively participating and gaining experience:

· If you want to do operations, you can first choose a project of interest, be active in their Discord community, proactively apply to become a MOD (Moderator, community manager), and learn about the industry's pace through practice;

· To pursue a content-related role, you can find a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) or author you like, engage with them proactively, express your viewpoints, and even a high-quality comment could be a starting point;

· To pursue a technical role, you can start with languages like Solidity, Rust, etc., then try writing some code following online tutorials, and further understand their smart contracts through open-source project documentation. Additionally, participate in industry Hackathons to collaborate with like-minded individuals, practice with a team, and exchange ideas with projects you are interested in.

This is the reality of Web3's hiring mechanism: there is no defined path, but plenty of room for a "give it a try" attitude. Instead of waiting to be "ready," it's better to take the first step. Building trust through action is always more practical than waiting for the perfect path.

In summary: Experience is important, but being "willing to take the first step" is even more crucial.

2. Being Noticed: Step Out, Engage Proactively

If the first section addressed the question of "whether to take action," this section aims to solve the "where to take action" — the answer is: among people.

The Web3 industry has a characteristic that is starkly different from traditional industries: it lacks a formal job application system. There are no standardized recruitment websites, no uniform interview processes, and in many projects, there isn't even an HR department. In this scenario, the industry is reverting to the most primitive form of talent acquisition: referrals and personal introductions.

"We don't post job openings." Said a project lead, "We bring in those we trust and know can deliver. Mainly relying on referrals, and we quickly fill up vacancies with just a couple of people."

It may sound like a startup mentality, but many positions are filled this way. Particularly for early-stage projects with a small team and fast pace, instead of spending time sifting through resumes, it's easier to find someone who is "known" and can get started immediately, even if not perfect.

For them, being "reliable" and "trustworthy" takes precedence over having a "good education" or "extensive experience." It's not that they ignore backgrounds; they just don't have the time to deduce from one's background whether "this person can handle tasks."

Therefore, the core logic of finding work in Web3 is also simple: you need to be visible to them. You need others to think of you when they have a need—that's the recruitment logic in this industry.

For students, the most stable way to be "noticed" is to join the university's Blockchain Association (hereinafter referred to as "Chain Association").

On the one hand, Blockchain Associations help new members understand blockchain basics and industry operations through open classes, internal lectures, and other methods; on the other hand, they continue to connect with alumni resources and collaboration projects to provide members with internship, part-time, or volunteer opportunities.

In addition, many Blockchain Associations also hold public events for the industry, such as organizing AMAs, co-hosting offline Meetups, or participating in Hackathon event preparations. These activities not only allow members to interact with project teams and professionals earlier but also indirectly establish the Blockchain Association's "endorsement of trust" in the industry.

"We are not specifically focused on recruiting, but project teams often come to ask if we have any recommendations," said one Blockchain Association organizer. "So we have a group where we bring project teams and students together, and whoever needs people can directly post job information in the group, and students can contact HR directly."

Some recruitment events in the industry also directly connect with Blockchain Associations. For example, Bitget's overseas campus recruitment for 2024-2025 held offline presentations at multiple overseas target schools.

For project teams, this mechanism significantly reduces screening costs; for students, it also provides a relatively safe way to get involved. Many people's first Web3 experience often starts from the Blockchain Association.

If your school does not have a Blockchain Association, there is no need to worry. Most association activities are open to all students and also provide similar student subsidies. You can pay more attention to relevant information.

In addition to Blockchain Associations, actively participating in offline events is also an important way to build industry connections.

"We prefer to attend offline events to meet people in person. I really can't remember people online," said a project team member. "Judging a person based on a resume or profile picture is too mystical. Trust is crucial in Web3, so it is essential to establish offline connections." Compared to the traditional recruitment process, this is more like fate-based recruitment. "Many people have met a few times at events, and when there happens to be a vacancy later on, they will directly ask if you would be willing to try."

This is not a one-time interaction for an offer, but a process of making the other party remember you, acknowledge you, and trust you through multiple engagements and conversations.

In addition to traditional Blockchain Associations and offline events, the industry also has some platforms and projects actively building "connection bridges" to provide a more structured entry point for newcomers without connections, which you can actively follow. For example, Bitget initiated the Blockchain4Youth public welfare program, which provides systematic industry guidance for newcomers through various methods, including establishing scholarships in collaboration with the University of Zurich to support students in deepening their involvement in Web3 research and project practices; and partnering with the Web3 professional platform Bondex (equivalent to LinkedIn in the Web3 industry) to launch the #Web3 Insider video series, focusing on job introductions and career path planning to help newcomers better understand industry requirements and possible entry paths.

In the current industry landscape lacking recruitment infrastructure, focusing on such resources can provide a clearer entry path for newcomers without a network background.

It is worth noting that being social does not equal being extroverted; proactive socializing does not mean introverted individuals have no opportunity. In the Web3 field, the following approaches 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 deep conversations, which is the best way to build trust.

· High-density Community Engagement: Focus on 2-3 high-quality small circles or communities, become an active contributor, and be more effective than broad networking. In a small circle, your professional skills are more easily seen and remembered.

· Content as Icebreakers: By writing technical blogs, sharing project retrospectives, publishing thought summaries, and other means, let your professional skills proactively "find" the right people. Many introverted technical experts have built a strong personal brand through consistent content output.

In conclusion, Web3 recruitment is often not about "who is applying," but about "who I know can do this." This is a byproduct of the "lack of standardized recruitment mechanisms," but it is also indeed more about fate.

You don't necessarily have to perform exceptionally well, but you must be trusted, at least "know who you are."

In this context, taking the initiative, making yourself visible, and building trust become essential courses for Web3 job hunting. Whether through chain cooperations, offline events, or online content output, the key is to continuously appear in the industry's field of vision and become the "remembered person."

3. Ability to Stay: Proactiveness and Communication Collaboration

If "joining the circle" relies on being seen, then "staying" relies on being trusted. And what truly wins trust is not the qualifications on a resume, but the ability to demonstrate proactiveness and communication collaboration in work.

BlockBeats' research on employers shows that 96.55% of recruiters value "proactiveness/execution," and 62.07% value "communication and writing skills" the most. In other words, whether a newcomer can drive things forward on their own and communicate complex issues clearly is more important than being a "veteran in the industry." In actual projects, qualifications are no longer the decisive factor; instead, the ability to quickly enter a "able to deliver, collaborative" work state is the standard for measuring retention value.

As a project founder bluntly put it: "I don't care how many meme projects you've been involved in; what matters is whether you can communicate clearly."

In decentralized, flat Web3 teams, the ability to express oneself is equivalent to the ability to acquire resources. Ricardo, a Bitget marketing recruit, confirmed this through his experience: "My mentor told me when I joined that I could raise any ideas, as long as they were rational, and resources would be allocated to help me drive them forward." This means that the premise of advancing an idea is your ability to persuade others accurately and clearly.

In the eyes of Joseph, a data analyst at Bitget, effective communication can even become an accelerator for problem-solving. When faced with a complex issue, he directly initiated a voice call with a colleague, who then brought in upstream collaborators layer by layer, ultimately leading to a 7-person meeting where "everyone was willing to work together to clarify things." This proactive connection and multi-party coordination ability are becoming the cornerstone of collaboration in flat organizations.

This ability also directly impacts the recruitment process. An interviewer revealed, "I ask some questions that you may not know the answer to, not to test your knowledge, but to see how you organize your language. If you are not structured, I will guide you to say first, second, third. If you still can't explain clearly, we basically won't continue the conversation." In his view, structured expression is not only about communication skills but also a manifestation of execution consciousness—a person who can clearly break down a problem and push tasks forward coherently is often the one who can stay.

In the fast-paced world of Web3 projects, the ability to express oneself, logical thinking, and collaborative spirit are no longer just bonus points but rather "foundational skills." They determine whether a person can truly keep up with the industry's pace and whether they can continue to create value within the team.

3. What platform should you choose as the starting point for your career development?

For newcomers eager to enter Web3, the first step in career choice is not actually "Should I do operations or content?" but rather "From which type of organization should I begin." In this industry where a standard career path has not yet been established, the choice of platform often determines the speed, direction, and even risk tolerance of growth.

Unlike the standard process in traditional industries of "submitting a resume, getting hired, and waiting for promotion," the entry into Web3 is often more non-standardized, asymmetric, and even somewhat chaotic and random. The real issue facing newcomers is not "which company to choose" but "which type of entry method to select."

According to BlockBeats' research data, 75% of job seekers consider centralized exchanges as their preferred starting point, 56.25% choose to join a project team or startup, and another 56.25% opt to immerse themselves in research institutions or venture capital platforms.

Faced with these significantly different entry paths, we conducted in-depth interviews and comparisons on two of the most typical directions: the exchange platform and the project side, attempting to reconstruct their true ecosystems to provide job seekers with a more valuable career map.

These two paths each have their own advantages and disadvantages and are also suitable for job seekers with different backgrounds, skill sets, and preferences.

(1) Project Side: Not Afraid of "Jacks-of-All-Trades," Getting Close to the Core through Internships and Part-time Jobs

Most Web3 project teams are early-stage startups with small organizations and short decision-making chains. Due to the lack of a systematic training system, these teams generally do not actively "recruit" but are very willing to "hire" — as long as you can immediately take on tasks, solve problems, your status as a part-timer, remote worker, or intern is not important.

This "trust through delivery" logic in hiring is very common among Web3 project teams. For them, hiring the wrong person is extremely costly. Instead of "building from scratch," they prefer "low-cost trial and error" to discover teachable talents.

Lynn is a core member of a Web3 startup project, with only five full-time and three part-time team members, so small that they don't even have an office. She said, "We don't actually recruit much because it's hard enough for us to survive." However, even so, she still recruited some interns through referrals from friends to work on operations or technical tasks, earning between $500-1000 per month, working a few hours a day. This budget is higher than the intern salaries at a certain e-commerce giant, and it's also remote and "easy," but she doesn't feel generous at all. She said with a smile, "I only care about results. As long as I can deliver, it's worth it for me."

The significance of this setup for project teams is that it is cost-effective, light, and can be withdrawn at any time. If interns perform exceptionally well, the team is like finding a treasure; if they are not suitable, they can also quickly cut losses without incurring sunk costs. In the context of the generally short lifespan of projects and highly uncertain cash flow, this arrangement not only avoids the risk of excessive manpower expenditure but also adds a margin of error.

Of course, for newcomers, this path is full of uncertainty: you may be "the person doing the most critical work," or you may just be "filling in the gaps." However, it cannot be denied that it is one of the few opportunities where you can be "directly seen."

More importantly, it is one of the few rare windows to get close to the founder, directly understand product and market decisions. You will be involved in actual business, understand the rhythm of community operations, and may even be involved in the process of financing and ecosystem cooperation, gaining a growth density far beyond traditional internship experiences.

Of course, it's not suitable for everyone: no structured training program, no clear promotion path, everything is based on self-exploration. Today, you may be leading growth strategy, but tomorrow you may be "optimized" due to team restructuring. However, for newcomers willing to exchange hands-on experience for real-world knowledge, embrace volatility, and not afraid to start from scratch, this is truly one of the paths in the Web3 industry where you can truly "get in the trenches."

(2) Trading Platforms Becoming "New Tech Giants": Mechanized Training and Stable Growth Paths

If being a project team member is a high-risk, high-return "freestyle fighting" match, then centralized trading platforms offer a more "standardized" entryway.

Compared to the project team's common practice of referrals and community recommendations, trading platforms have a more open and transparent recruitment channel with a fixed process and clear checkpoints, providing newcomers with a clearer entry path. Taking Bitget as an example, its campus recruitment and internship positions are regularly posted on the official website, LinkedIn, social media, and the intranet platforms of target universities. Allen, who previously worked at a Web2 tech giant, saw a job posting for an AI Product role at Bitget on LinkedIn and applied directly, receiving an interview invitation within days.

In addition to clear channels, the supply of positions is much more extensive than outsiders imagine. By the end of 2024, a leading trading platform simultaneously opened over 500 positions in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, covering various functions such as product, operations, growth, risk control, and security. Another newly established trading platform also expanded its core team by nearly a hundred employees in a short period. "If you don't reach this scale, you basically can't get it off the ground," said a recruiting manager in the industry.

Behind this intensive recruitment demand is the high-density operational structure that platform-type organizations need to support: they must serve global users, as well as deal with complex technical operations, ecosystem development, and regulatory compliance. To ensure the efficient operation of this system, most trading platforms establish dedicated HR teams, create a clear job grading system, and strengthen cross-departmental cooperation mechanisms. Compared to project teams with loose organization and limited resources, trading platforms have a more solid organizational foundation that is "newcomer-friendly" and can accommodate growth.

Bitget's campus recruitment is a microcosm of this structured mechanism. In 2025, its campus recruitment project received over ten thousand resumes in total, ultimately hiring only 28 fresh graduates to join various core business modules such as technology, product, regional growth, global branding, and global operations, covering almost the entire crypto business chain.

What is more welcoming for newcomers is that, compared to the "must hit the ground running" logic of many project teams, trading platforms provide a more tolerant growth space and a clearer support system. A considerable portion of these newcomers had not directly worked in Web3-related roles before but still secured job offers based on their clear communication skills, curiosity about the industry, and willingness to learn.

Upon joining the team, new hires will receive onboarding training covering industry knowledge, job skills, and cultural values; each individual will be assigned a direct mentor, and HRBP will regularly track performance and development needs to support job rotation and cross-department trials. This mechanism not only helps new hires quickly adapt to their roles but also ensures that they have a relatively clear development path in an uncertain industry.

In practical implementation, this mechanism has also demonstrated positive effects.

Hazel, a campus recruit in the Bitget Branding department, shared that while participating in Bitget's large-scale marketing project "Bitget Anti-Scam Month," the team provided SOP frameworks and resource coordination support from creative planning to execution, allowing Hazel to lead the entire campaign within three months. Another campus recruit, Joseph, mentioned that during the data dashboard construction project, his mentor accompanied him throughout, helping address business challenges and guiding him through problem decomposition and process review, enabling him to independently support operational data requirements within a few months of onboarding.

Of course, the path of a trading platform is not without its drawbacks. Compared to project teams' "jack-of-all-trades" approach and "close contact with core," trading platforms have more refined role definitions and mature processes. This means that in certain positions, individual expression space and innovation flexibility may be limited; for newcomers eager to lead products and engage in frequent trial and error, growth speed may be restricted.

Who is it suitable for? Those who wish to receive systematic training, need a stable cash flow, and plan to stay in the industry for the medium to long term. Especially job seekers who want to start from understanding the industry as a whole, "slowly warm up in a stable structure," the trading platform is a trustworthy starting point.

Overall, when it comes to entering Web3, there is no standard answer, only a more suitable entry point.

· If you are eager to learn quickly, get close to the industry core, and are willing to embrace uncertainty, a project team may be your training ground;

· If you prefer a steady start, have systematic support, and have long-term plans, the trading platform may be more suitable as the first stop.

What truly matters is whether you can build trust through action and establish a position through output—the platform is just a path, and your growth still depends on yourself.

IV. Conclusion: Not Finding a Web3 Job, but Finding a Way to Create Value

As we look back at the full picture of this in-depth research, a clear image emerges: Web3 is not only a burgeoning industry but also an experimental ground that is redefining the very concept of a "career." Here, traditional job search logic is being disrupted, and new value creation methods are emerging.

For everyone involved, the true meaning of Web3 job hunting is not to find a "Web3 job," but to learn a new way of working, thinking, and living. At its core, it is a shift from "adapting to the world" to "creating the world."

In this process, you will discover:

The best jobs are not found, but created;

The best opportunities are not waited for, but made;

The best future is not planned, but the result of action.

Web3 is not the end but a beginning. It teaches us how to find certainty in uncertainty, identify opportunities in change, and establish order in chaos.

The constant flow of history continually reveals: in the transition of eras, it is often not the embracers of change but those who cling to old ways and resist reform that fade away.

The dividends of the times will eventually pass, but the ability to embrace change will become your evergreen asset. No matter how Web3 evolves in the future, those who dare to act, keep learning, and continuously create will always find their place in the next cycle.

Note: All individuals mentioned in the text are pseudonyms

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