Nov 15, 2025 
16 mins to read Web3 Recruitment Observations at Midnight
Frankly, it's now 2:17 am. I'm sitting in the cafe on the 37th floor of Singapore's Marina Bay Sands hotel, watching the blockchain skyscrapers sparkle through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Hmm... by the way, at least 12 founders asked me the same question today at the Token2049 conference: "How do you find the right Web3 talent during the current bear market?"
You see, that's why I wanted to talk about this topic. Security Researcher recruitment, Integration Engineer recruitment, and even CEO recruitment—the value of these positions in the Web3 space is far more complex than most people imagine. By the way, my Americano has gone cold...
Security Researcher: The Guardians of the Web3 World
Last Wednesday afternoon, I met a candidate who had just graduated from MIT. She shared an interesting analogy: "Smart contract vulnerabilities are like the fare-dodgers on Tokyo's subway—99% of people follow the rules, but catching that 1% is key."
Currently, the annual salaries for top-tier Security Researchers are quite remarkable:
- Junior: $120k-$180k
- Mid-level: $200k-$350k
- Senior: $400k+ (plus token rewards)
Actually... I've seen an even more extreme case on MyJob.one: a DeFi project paid a researcher a $2.5 million bounty for discovering a critical vulnerability.
Integration Engineer: The Glue of the Ecosystem
Let's see... last month, while transiting at Hong Kong Airport, I met a team building a cross-chain bridge. Their Integration Engineer told me: "Our work is like ground staff at an international airport, ensuring all the 'flights' (blockchains) connect seamlessly."
The uniqueness of this role lies in:
- Need to master at least 2-3 major chains (Ethereum, Solana, Cosmos, etc.)
- Salary is 30-50% higher than for regular developers
- One of the most in-demand talent types
By the way, if you're looking for such opportunities, MyJob.one just posted 17 Integration Engineer recruitment listings.
The Non-linear Path from IT Engineer to CEO
Suddenly, I recall an interesting observation from last year's Lisbon Web3 Summit: over 40% of Web3 founders started from the IT Engineer position. You see, how different this industry's career path is compared to traditional tech companies.
Take Mobile Developer as an example:
- Traditional field: App development → Senior Developer → Tech Lead
- Web3 field: DApp development → Protocol Engineer → Founder
To be honest, I know at least three cases where Mobile Developers transitioned to become CEOs of Web3 projects. What was their common stepping stone? All had participated in the mobile integration of some key protocol at a critical moment.
The Dark Horse: The Special Value of Web3 Recruiters
At 3:29 am, the cafe's music switched to jazz. This reminded me of a conversation at a private dinner in New York last week, where a top venture capitalist said: "Right now, what's most scarce isn't developers, but truly Web3-savvy Recruiters."
Why? Because:
- The criteria for evaluating Web3 talent are completely different
- Understanding tokenomics is crucial
- Community-building skills are more important than academic qualifications
By the way, if you're considering entering this field, MyJob.one's database shows that demand for professional Recruiter recruitment has grown by 370% year-on-year.
The CEO Dilemma: When Founders Become the Bottleneck
Let's... be honest, this topic is quite sensitive. Last quarter, we handled 11 CEO recruitment cases for Web3 projects and discovered a common pattern: technically-savvy founders often become bottlenecks during growth phases.
The ideal Web3 CEO profile should include:
- 40% technical understanding (doesn't need to include coding skills)
- 30% community-building ability
- 20% tokenomics design experience
- 10% traditional business acumen
You see, how different this is from the requirements for traditional company CEOs. I met someone in Zurich who transitioned from Security Researcher to CEO and now operates a privacy protocol worth $700 million.
The MyJob Perspective: The Data Speaks for Itself
According to MyJob.one's data from the past six months:
- Mobile Developer recruitment has grown the fastest (+215%)
- Integration Engineer positions have the shortest average vacancy duration (only 6.3 days)
- Security Researcher has the lowest interview pass rate (11.2%)
To be honest, these numbers reflect the structural imbalance in the Web3 talent market.
A Personal Note: To Those Still Fighting at Midnight
It's now 4:08 am. In the cafe, I'm the only one left, along with a developer writing smart contracts. His screen flashes with Solidity code, reminding me of my days at ETH Waterloo's hackathon in 2017.
Whether you're seeking IT Engineer recruitment opportunities or dreaming of becoming the next Web3 CEO, remember this golden rule of the industry: value creation always precedes value capture.
The blockchain doesn't sleep... but maybe we should rest. I have a talent roundtable on ZK-Rollups at 9 am tomorrow.
