Attracting curious & passionate minds: How the crypto industry hires new talent

Despite the pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns, the global crypto industry has bucked the trend and has seen an exponential growth in crypto related trading activity on the back of increased investor appetite for crypto assets. In India too, crypto-related firms have since been ramping up their talent acquisition drive to bolster operations and grow organically to cater to increased business volumes. With the global crypto market forecasted to witness a CAGR of ~11% during the next 5 years, there will be a resultant rise in demand for talented professionals who are well-suited for roles specific to this industry. Let us look at key aspects considered by crypto-based companies when they hire talent for key roles at different levels within their organization. 

With the crypto space being dominated by trading & E-commerce related activity, crypto exchanges or marketplaces are the right place for potential candidates to scout for job opportunities. Such firms regard curiosity & passion for crypto-related technologies and strategies as the basic criteria to screen applicants for internal positions. These traits are important considering the shape-shifting regulatory environment and changing consumer trends. A deep understanding of blockchain technology and strong programming fundamentals are important technical skills sought by recruiters for technical positions. For Legal & Compliance related job profiles, skilled professionals with relevant experience in dealing with complex and uncertain situations are preferred as they can quickly adapt to challenging & ambiguous operational scenarios. 

While hiring at junior and mid-level positions, it is important to induct motivated individuals who have a mindset to explore opportunities beyond the conventional approach. Due to the evolving nature of crypto related activity, candidates must be open to experimentation and constantly strive towards innovation at the workplace. In that sense, driven professionals who understand the Financial Technology (FinTech) startup space including what users want, are apt for up to mid-level hiring. At a senior level, companies are always on the lookout for industry experts/leaders who have guided their past organizations through periods of uncertainty as they come armed with valuable experience that can be applied to the crypto domain. 

Considering that crypto trading and allied activities are open 24x7, there can be situations that demand flexibility in crisis situations and can be rewarding for individuals who firmly believe in the future potential of crypto based technological applications. Recruiters are therefore always on the lookout for technical & hands-on skills with similar domain expertise, giving precedence over educational qualifications. While doing the assessments, it’s important to verify the problem solving capability. With the ever evolving tech stack, it’s the learning agility, aptitude and culture alignment that weigh the highest.  Considering the quantum of technology-intensive job profiles up to mid-level positions, hands-on coding assessments give a fair understanding of the candidate’s technical depth. 

The lion’s share of positions in a typical crypto firm dealing with the trading of crypto assets are related to blockchain development, application security, data engineering, architecture, frontend & mobile application development. These are technology-intensive roles that offer employees immense learning & developmental opportunities that will be most-relevant in times to come. With blockchain technology-based applications increasingly being adopted in the FinTech sector, such professionals can be vital for the growth of the organization and will also be the most important talent pool in the coming decade. Crypto firms are therefore expanding their workforce to induct and nurture talent like what the Indian IT industry focused upon a couple of decades ago. With the help of a conducive regulatory environment, India has the potential to become the global hotbed of crypto related activity owing to the concentration of well-skilled professionals in the country.

With a relatively low percentage of the population participating in crypto trading today, the Sales & Marketing function at crypto firms are attracting creative minds who can spot consumption trends and tailor the organization’s marketing strategies to onboard more investors. Attracting seasoned marketing professionals who have displayed incredible creativity & ingenuity in their past work stints is thus a priority for most companies today in the crypto space. For crypto exchanges, the legal & compliance vertical is the cornerstone of operations and so attract seasoned experts who can devise and maintain an operational framework that is compliant with national and super-national regulations. Additionally, with it being important to employ processes and strategies designed to thwart cyber & malware attacks, the need for qualified and experienced data & security engineers is on the rise at such crypto exchanges.

For those on the lookout for continuous learning opportunities and exciting growth prospects, all doors seem to be leading to the crypto industry. The rise in the number of startups in the crypto space is a harbinger of the exciting employment opportunities that it brings along. Attracting curious, passionate and dedicated individuals, it can be safely assumed that the crypto industry is at the epicenter of the next wave of talent acquisition in India and globally.