Nov 30, 2025 
19 mins to read Undercurrents in the Web3 Recruitment Market
To be honest, while organizing the MyJob.one backend data last week, I stared at the job growth in the Decentralized Finance field for ten minutes straight—the year-on-year growth from Q2 last year was up by 217%, a figure even exceeding levels seen during the 2021 bull market. Particularly in the stablecoin sector, roles like smart contract engineers at Renegade Recruitment have salary ranges that are now prompting traditional finance quant traders to consider switching careers.
Did you know? Just yesterday afternoon, an HR from a Hong Kong-based fund (whose name they didn't want to disclose) asked me on Slack: "COCO, is it necessary to prepare a package worth over $500,000 to recruit a risk management expert familiar with Chaos Labs Recruitment's requirements?" My iced latte almost spilled all over my keyboard at that moment.
Hunting for Talent by Venture Capital Firms
Speaking of this, we can't help but mention the tactics of IOSG Ventures Recruitment. Last month, during the Berlin Blockchain Week, they simply booked an entire hotel conference room for a closed-door interview session. A candidate I met later told me: 'Their CTO was asking me about optimizing recursive proofs in ZK-Rollups while munching on a sandwich, and I got an offer letter after answering just my third point...'
OP Crypto Recruitment takes it even further—they directly monitor developers in GitHub's popular repositories. According to data, in Q1 of this year alone, there was a 38% flow of mid-to-senior talent from traditional institutions like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs to crypto venture capital firms, specifically within the stablecoin projects.
The Arms Race in the Stablecoin Sector
You might not be aware that the team-building approach for stablecoin projects has completely changed. Previously, it was tech-driven, but now it's all about the golden triangle of compliance experts + monetary policy researchers + smart contract developers. I came across some data recently:
- Teams of fiat-backed stablecoins average 3.2 certified lawyers
- 80% of algorithmic stablecoin projects are poaching interest rate strategists from traditional investment banks
- Compliance officers from Tether and Circle command a 45% salary premium
To be honest, while helping Renegade Recruitment find a monetary policy researcher recently, I discovered their job description even required candidates to analyze FOMC meeting minutes—requirements that belong more on the Federal Reserve's website!
The Talent Scarcity in DEFI Protocols
There's something particularly interesting. Last quarter, when Chaos Labs Recruitment was hiring risk modeling specialists, we suddenly received applications from several former VP-level market risk managers at JPMorgan. I wonder if it's related to the explosion of DEFI derivatives? Now, AAVE and Compound are both building professional economics research teams, offering conditions including:
- Remote work + global social security coverage
- Token incentives accounting for 40–60% of the total package
- Direct reporting to project founders
The most surreal aspect of Decentralized Finance is how the narrative has shifted from 'Should we recruit traditional finance talent?' to 'How do we prevent定点挖角 (targeted poaching) from Wall Street?' One of my friends working on economic models at MakerDAO has already received messages from seven headhunters in the past three months.
A Practical Guide to DEFI Career Survival in 2023
Based on data from the MyJob.one platform and real-world cases, I've compiled a few practical tips:
For Developers:
The most in-demand skills now are full-stack talents who understand both Solidity and formal verification. There's an inside scoop: A top-tier DEFI protocol is offering double the market rate to developers who can write in both Vyper and Huff languages.
For Finance Professionals:
IOSG Ventures Recruitment and OP Crypto Recruitment are seeking analysts with experience in traditional finance who can also interpret on-chain metrics. The key is translating data like TVL and APY into language that institutional investors will actually listen to.
For Newcomers:
I recommend starting in the audit space—Chaos Labs Recruitment's internship programs have lower competition than development roles, and the career path is clear. I recently saw a 00-gen intern promoted to a full-time security engineer within half a year.
Market Observations in Conclusion
Did you know? What I'm most concerned about now is the structural imbalance in the talent market. High-end talent in Decentralized Finance is being overpaid, but foundational roles are now competing on educational credentials—just yesterday, I saw a frontend position for a DEFI protocol requiring a PhD in Computer Science. Is that reasonable?
Ugh, sometimes late at night, while browsing the MyJob.one resume database, I notice many qualified candidates get filtered out simply because they lack exposure to stablecoins or Layer2 technologies. Honestly, this industry needs more adaptability and open-mindedness...
Oh, and if you're interested in the specific job descriptions from Renegade Recruitment or OP Crypto Recruitment, feel free to reach out—I'm always up for a chat. Though the market is wild, everyone will eventually find their place—this is something I often tell candidates who're still tweaking their resumes at 3 AM.
