Getting a job in crypto may be the hardest it\u2019s ever been. The rise of AI has lured away once plentiful venture capital funding, and with a maturing industry, crypto companies are now more choosy than ever.<\/p>\n
A recent Coinbase summer internship program had room for just 0.3%<\/a> of applicants, according to Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, showing the sheer level of interest compared to available space. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, CryptoJobsList founder Raman Shalupau and researcher Stefi Kiemeney told Cointelegraph that they\u2019re still often seeing job postings with over 200 applicants vying for a single position. <\/p>\n But how does one beat the competition? What are most crypto job applicants commonly getting wrong?<\/p>\n Cointelegraph spoke with some industry players to uncover the most common mistakes crypto job seekers are making \u2014 and how to avoid them. Here\u2019s what they said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speaking to Cointelegraph, Proof of Search CEO Kevin Gibson said there are many \u201ccrypto enthusiasts\u201d out there, but few of them are actually building.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe they\u2019ve bought and sold a few tokens, picked up an NFT or two, and read some articles or scrolled through X threads or LinkedIn posts. But that\u2019s usually where it stops,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey haven\u2019t really rolled up their sleeves and gotten hands-on with the tech in a way that\u2019s actually useful for working at a protocol or crypto company.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Gibson\u2019s remarks echo similar observations<\/a> made around a month ago by CryptoRecruit founder Neil Dundon on LinkedIn.<\/p>\n \u201cIf your resume says Web3 but your wallet says 0x000. I\u2019ve got questions,\u201d Dundon said, adding: <\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re not living in the space, why would a founder trust you to build in it?<\/p>\n While demonstrating onchain activity is a step in the right direction, Gibson said the clearest proof of real crypto work is an active GitHub account:<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>If you can point to your GitHub and show you\u2019ve actually delivered on different projects, contributed code, or collaborated with others, that\u2019s huge.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n For those that aren\u2019t striving to be onchain wizards, Gibson said putting out content, contributing to a decentralized autonomous organization, or showing some other form of community involvement is essential.<\/p>\n Opportunities in non-tech crypto roles \u2014 such as finance, marketing, and operations \u2014 still exist, but Shalupau and Kiemeney noted that Rust developers, smart contract engineers<\/a> and zero-knowledge cryptography experts are among the most in-demand hard skill roles.<\/p>\n It may be a stereotype that tech-savvy people are often poor communicators, but recruiters said many talented builders often stumble when explaining their work during the interview, which undersells the projects they\u2019ve contributed to and weakens their job prospects.<\/p>\n \u201cCompanies want people who can build and explain what they\u2019re building in plain language,\u201d CryptoJobsList \u2018s Shalupau and Kiemeney said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gibson said he\u2019s conducted interviews where some developers failed to answer basic questions:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll often ask questions like, \u2018What\u2019s the last thing you did on-chain?\u2019 or \u2018How do you keep your wallet secure?\u2019 and you\u2019d be surprised how many people get stumped by the basics.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Crypto companies use the application process to learn more about potential hirees, and they want to see genuine, human-crafted applications \u2014 not AI-generated ones.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t use AI during your application process \u2014 it is easier to detect than you think and you will be instantly disqualified,\u201d Shalupau and Kiemeney said.<\/p>\n They also advised applicants not to \u201cshotgun your r\u00e9sum\u00e9\u201d in the interview \u2014 encouraging them to instead focus on how they\u2019ve used the company\u2019s tech stack, or at least demonstrate a clear understanding of it.<\/p>\n \u201cDo your homework. Learn the project before applying.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Many applicants also focus on sectors that were hot in 2021, which are nowhere near their prime today.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to Shalupau and Kiemeney, stablecoin, decentralized finance infrastructure, and real-world asset tokenization companies are \u201chiring steadily\u201d right now, while hype around nonfungible token (NFT) marketplaces<\/a> and play-to-earn gaming has \u201cburned out.\u201d<\/p>\n The pair referred to metaverse land sales \u201cdead\u201d and that while companies are still building virtual worlds, \u201cthe speculative land-grab business model is done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Earlier this week, leading metaverse platform Sandbox announced it was laying off staff,<\/a> while its two founders transitioned to strategic roles.<\/p>\n But not everything has come at the fault of crypto job applicants, they said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unfortunately, crypto suffered its Lehman Brothers moment with FTX\u2019s catastrophic collapse<\/a> in November 2022, just as OpenAI transformed the AI space by making large language models conversational and widely accessible \u2014 marking the start of a major shift in job opportunities from crypto to AI.<\/p>\n Since then, AI has pulled significant talent and capital away from crypto, Shalupau and Kiemeney said. \u201cDevelopers and entrepreneurs follow the money and excitement, and right now AI is soaking up both.\u201d<\/p>\n Crypto fundraising peaked at $29 billion in 2021, followed by $28.5 billion in 2022 \u2014 but figures have dropped sharply since 2023, with combined funding over the last two and a half years failing to even surpass 2022\u2019s total, according<\/a> to RootData.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, crypto companies have raised funds in just 547 rounds in 2025 \u2014 on track to be the lowest total since 2020 \u2014 indicating that venture capital companies<\/a> are placing bigger bets on fewer startups.<\/p>\n Crypto hiring is also highly seasonal and influenced by the broader macro climate, Dragonfly\u2019s head of talent, Zackary Shelly, said<\/a> on X earlier this month.<\/p>\n Examining data from the venture capital firm\u2019s crypto portfolio, more than 300 new crypto jobs were posted in January, a 60% increase from the previous month. By February, however, postings fell 60% as crypto prices slumped amid heightened talks of US tariffs.<\/a><\/p>\n 750 crypto roles were cut in March \u2014 the largest monthly fall ever \u2014 with business development, customer service, and marketing positions hit the hardest, Shelly noted, while data science and engineering roles were less affected.<\/p>\n \u201cEven when sentiment shifts, these markets hold demand across cycles \u2014 always competitive, bull or bear,\u201d Shelly said of the more tech-heavy roles.<\/p>\n Despite what the Dragonfly data suggests, the CryptoJobsList\u2019s Shalupau and Kiemeney said that while breaking into the industry is harder than it used to be, crypto jobs are generally safer than before.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeing fewer job postings than the 2021 peak, but the quality is higher. Companies now hire with sustainability in mind, not just hype,\u201d whereas \u201cin the last bull run, there was a \u2018hire first, figure it out later\u2019 mentality,\u201d they said, referring to blue-chip companies.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis time, budgets are tighter, teams are leaner, and hiring is more intentional.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Related: <\/strong><\/em>The highest-paying jobs in crypto to watch in 2025<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n However, early-stage companies are \u201cstill scrappy\u201d and lack a structured hiring process, Shalupau and Kiemeney noted.<\/p>\n Dundon also advised crypto companies to more actively seek out top talent, rather than just posting on crypto job boards and hoping the right candidate shows up.<\/p>\n \u201cThe best candidates don\u2019t fill in application forms. They\u2019re not scrolling job boards. They\u2019re busy building. They get found. Because they\u2019re already doing the work worth noticing,\u201d the recruiter said<\/a> in a separate post.<\/p>\n \u201cIf your entire hiring strategy is \u2018post and pray\u2019 \u2026 you\u2019ll never see them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\nThey haven\u2019t \u2018rolled up their sleeves\u2019 and built something onchain<\/h2>\n
They\u2019ve built something, but can\u2019t explain it<\/h2>\n
Using AI-generated, generic resumes<\/h2>\n
They\u2019re focused on the wrong crypto sectors<\/h2>\n
FTX damaged crypto\u2019s reputation as AI took off<\/h2>\n
Crypto jobs market susceptible to macro changes<\/h2>\n
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLook harder to find the right candidate<\/h2>\n