Blockchain Hiring Guide: Where to Find Blockchain Developers?

The number of blockchain employees peaked last year, more than doubling their number  compared to the previous year, and continues to increase, according to the report by CFTE.

Source: The Blockchain Job Report 2022, CFTE

Still, the number of blockchain engineers is relatively low. As a result, hiring a skilled and experienced developer can be similar to finding a needle in a haystack. Moreover, there are lots of fake experts in blockchain technology, just like scam blockchain startups.

The existing talent gap, together with the growing demand for specialists, set certain challenges for businesses looking to hire blockchain developers. These include high blockchain developer rates as well as fierce competition for top talent. So, if you want to know how to find developers for your project and attract the best talent, you need to employ all available means.

First, you need to know where to find a blockchain developer for hire. Whether you are looking to grow your in-house staff, hire a freelancing blockchain developer, or contract a consulting firm, here are several ideas to kickstart your search.

Hiring freelance blockchain developers

Just like other software engineers, blockchain developers for hire can be found on various freelance platforms — Upwork.com and Toptal are the two most popular platforms. They each offer a large talent pool where you can find and hire the best blockchain developer for your project.

However, there are a number of smaller, more specialized blockchain developer freelance marketplaces:

• Codementor.io is a developer community rather than a freelance marketplace. The platform offers a risk-free trial and rapid hiring process thanks to their dedicated hiring consultants. There are also no additional fees for employers (the platform fee is already included in the freelance rates). However, the website currently lists only about 50 blockchain experts — out of 250,000+ developers.
• Xbtfreelancer.com is a freelance marketplace with a 100% focus on all things blockchain. The website has very detailed skill filtering capabilities and accepts payments in Bitcoin. It also boasts a massive pool of 61,818 freelancers (although not all of them are developers). Posting a project on the website is free. However, the platform adds a 60¢ fee to each transaction to support the Bitcoin network.

Despite being relatively easy to find and hire, freelance developers pose additional challenges for business owners. For example, managing freelancers can be tricky if you don’t have enough experience. Plus, hiring a blockchain developer on a freelance basis only makes sense if you have a short-term project.

Recruiting in-house engineers

If you want to build something more complex, you should be looking to add blockchain software developers to your in-house team. Here are some websites for listing remote and local blockchain developer jobs.

Job boards and aggregators

Popular platforms, such as Indeed.com or Jooble.org, do not specialize in blockchain developer jobs, but they have good traffic. Placing relevant keywords with your blockchain developer job description can help put your posting on the candidates’ radar. Moreover, there are dozens of small job aggregators that fetch job ads placed on these platforms and repost them.

While both Indeed.com and Jooble.org work worldwide, you can also consider local job boards which are more popular in your country. For example, Reed.co.uk is a great opportunity to reach tech specialists in the UK.

Dedicated blockchain developer platforms

Unlike the common job boards, these websites have a simple interface for easier blockchain hiring. Examples include:

• Crypto.jobs is an easily-navigate website that offers multiple hiring options. e.g., remote/on-site, contract/part-time/internship. Plus, you can offer equity as a part of your benefits package. You can post a job ad for free or choose to feature your posting for $199. The platform also runs a weekly newsletter sending featured job offers to its subscribers.

• Cryptojobslist.com. The website accepts job postings across a number of categories related to blockchain, such as engineering, marketing, trading, sales, and design. The resource has a handy Telegram bot that delivers job postings directly to potential candidates. The job posting costs $99 or $199, depending on the plan you choose.
• BeinCrypto is a blockchain job aggregator. Unlike the above-mentioned job boards, it only offers paid options — the price is $149 for a job ad. However, the job postings are frequently updated: they add, on average, 20 jobs every day.
• Coinality is one of the oldest job boards for the blockchain industry and has current listings for freelance, part-time, and full-time positions. All submitted jobs are reviewed by humans of reasonably sound judgment to ensure that all jobs posted on Coinality are real opportunities.

Online tech communities

Popular community platforms, like Reddit or StackExchange, feature a number of niche groups dedicated to blockchain, Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. Using these platforms, you can advertise your job opening directly to potential candidates. Although most might not be actively looking for a job, it is still an effective way to get visibility and connect with top blockchain software developers.

Evan Faggart, Senior Editor of Bitsonline, shared with us a subreddit where employers can list job openings, and prospective workers can market their skills to employers looking for new hires.

Meetups, conferences, hackathons

Various networking events can also present a great recruiting opportunity. You can collect contacts and pre-screen potential candidates in person, as well as see them in action (as at hackathons).

Namely, there are hundreds of local conferences to choose from, as well as some major global events, such as:

• Blockchain Expo Global is the leading globally-established blockchain for a business event, bringing together industry leaders for two days of world-class content from leading brands.
• The North American Bitcoin Conference is one of the first, and currently, the largest blockchain industry conference in the world.
• Coinagenda is a major US conference that has started branching out into international events.

Choosing a blockchain development company

If you decide to look for blockchain developer companies on Google, you might be overwhelmed by the number of options and paid advertisements promising “top-tier specialists and reduced cost.” Yet, how can you know if the company really has the required expertise and can be trusted?

In this regard, company listings such as Clutch.co or GoodFirms.co prove to be useful sources of information. There are currently 2,751 Firms on Clutch.co and 2,098 on GoodFirms.co so far. Therefore, you need the patience to look through the whole list to find blockchain developer candidates that suit your needs. However, the platforms offer verified customer reviews and independent company ratings to help you make an informed decision before you sign the contract.

Having said that, hiring a blockchain development company also has a number of pitfalls you should take into account. First of all, most companies price their services higher compared to independent developers because of overhead and hidden costs associated with their in-house employees.

Plus, you should be careful about the cooperation model and terms your provider offers. Make sure to pre-vet your potential providers with comprehensive due diligence before hiring developers.

Hiring blockchain developers via staff augmentation

Tech companies use staff augmentation services when they have projects with limited planning horizons or need to move quickly to keep up with product demand and reduce technical debt.

Similar to employing remote in-house engineers, companies manage contractors and communicate with them directly. However, hiring contract blockchain developers is a faster and more flexible way to close skill gaps. Organizations don’t have to worry about retirement contributions or benefits packages and make a commitment to integrating engineers into the team as they do with in-house employees.

Companies can hire remote contractors with experience in blockchain technology on YouTeam.

How much does it cost to hire a blockchain developer?

We’ve compiled information on the average blockchain developer salaries and rates across different hiring platforms. Please note that in-house developer salaries on Glassdoor may not include bonuses and non-financial benefits. YouTeam’s commission is up to 10% of the engineer’s hourly rate, while on Upwork, you’ll pay a flat 5% fee for fixed-price and hourly jobs.

Blockchain developer annual salaries

*The estimated total pay for a blockchain developer based on salaries collected from Glassdoor users with 7–9 years of experience. The salaries may include cash bonuses, commissions, and profit sharing.

Upwork blockchain developer hourly rates

*Top-rated talent on Upwork. Category: Web, Mobile and Software developers. Subcategory: Blockchain, NFT, and Cryptocurrency. Filters applied: Job success: 90% and more; Earned amount: $10,000 and more. English level: Fluent, native, or bilingual.

YouTeam blockchain developer hourly rates

*According to YouTeam. Rates of software engineers who have specified blockchain as their core technology.

*According to YouTeam. Rates of software engineers who have specified blockchain as their core technology.

Taking into account the explosive growth of blockchain hiring, businesses need to act fast to secure the best talent. Browse hundreds of available developers and shortlisted candidates, and start building your blockchain project in days, not weeks.