Skills Needed to Kickstart Your Career in Web3 | Owen Healy | ETHWarsaw [4]

Hi everyone, hope all is well. Um, yeah, pleasure to be here and thanks very much to Eat Warsaw for having me. Uh, first of all, show hands quickly who is already working in the space. Okay, so good majority. Um this presentation is more so geared towards those who are crypto curious looking to join the space and it'll give people maybe some skills as to how to join the space effectively and efficiently and as well as that maybe some reasons as to maybe why they shouldn't join the space as well.

So yeah, so a bit about myself working in the industry now for almost uh five years now. Worked with a lot of different projects from L1s, market makers, exchanges, bit of everything. Um and yeah, just if a few tips um if you're to take maybe two pieces of advice from this particular talk is to understand that your best recruiter is you and your net worth is your net worth. So yeah. Um, so yeah, what I mean by that is effectively always be connecting.

So again, nobody will tell give you a job in this industry because you say you're passionate. You need to prove it, demonstrate proof of interest. And I'll touch a bit more on that later. So yeah, I love this um quote by Albert Einstein. Um, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

And what I mean by that is job boards. So Coinbase for example are on track to receive 1.5 million applications this year alone and web three security firm Hacken did a summer internship program offering 10 different positions and that received over 1,600 applicants. Now if you're applying for any of those positions on a job board, there's a high probability that your resume unfortunately be lost among the pile. So it comes back to the previous things.

Always be building your network. Always be upskilling and understanding your best recruiter is you. So if you're looking to join the space, always be connecting and showcasing your value as well. And I'll touch on that as well. Personal branding as well and how your timeline is your resume in many respects.

So yeah, why join this industry? So opportunities are abundant and we're at the blockchain tech is going to revolutionize all aspects um of society. So I do believe that even be by being here you're on the cusp of you're ahead of the curve effectively. So right why work in web three? We'll get the positives out of the way first.

Um prosperity um autonomy. So again it's a globally globally distributed industry working across multiple different time zones working with people from many different nationalities and there's huge growth opportunities as well. So in the great thing about this industry and the great thing that's empowering about this industry in my own personal opinion is that it gives you the ability to create your own ladder rather than climb an existing ladder. And a lot of people working in this space are working on something that they believe is much greater than themselves rather than working for a corporate machine 9 to5. Um yeah and again you can also do very well if you get into a good project early um because a lot of projects like to share in the successes of that project.

So if you join early you could be on a good vesting schedule and do extremely well from it. Salaries generally speaking I would say salaries in web three are a lot higher than in web two. That's not so much the case maybe if you're located in New York or Zurich or a high-cost location, but generally speaking, I would say across the board salaries are much better in web 2. And the culture is amazing. It's fun and impactful.

You get to oftentimes go to amazing events, meet amazing people like these, but also you're working in a fun environment. Um, a lot of people that want to proactively change the world for the better. And lastly, reinvention. So I've seen over the last number of years developers turn marketers, marketers turn developers, scientists turn into BD professionals. There is a great opportunity for people stuck in their quote unquote web two job to completely reinvent themselves.

And yeah, so yeah, typical meme. Um, web 3 is is it's an amazing industry to work in. Um, but also it can have some negative connotations as well. So, one thing is job security. So, again, if you're looking for job security, you can find another industry because you're definitely not going to get it in this space.

Um, sorry to disappoint you. Um, and yeah, common complaints with regards to job seekers working in the industry as well is that the interview processes can be typically very long. Some projects can use interview process, unfortunately, as a means of getting free consultancy. Um, which obviously isn't right. Um but yeah again I would say the typical average tenure of a web three employee quote unquote is about one year.

Um so again if you value job security this mightn't be the industry for you but that being said there is an abundance of opportunities here um within the space generally and as we embark upon Q4 I think that even more opportunities will arise um for those in nontechnical um disciplines. So yeah, salary benchmarking in web three, yeah, it's a bit all over the place to be honest. And this is particularly true for non-devs especially, mainly marketers, BD people. So in August, a marketer could be struggling to get a job maybe at 5K per month and then two months later there's a few more green candles, a lot more projects are optimistic about the future and then they're inundated suddenly with seven 8K a month offers. Um it's really difficult.

Um yeah again your salary can fluctuate wildly um or what you should be earning or what projects perceive you should be earning can fluctuate wildly in this space especially for non-developers. So yeah again this industry is 247 365 you have to be obsessed very passionate to succeed in it and I often tell people looking to enter the space you don't want a job in web 3 you want a purpose in web 3. So yeah, given that this is an industry where you can completely reinvent yourself, I often use this um Japanese concept to help people um just to evaluate um where they're going um as they embark upon a web three career, passion, profession, mission, vocation, very basic stuff, but it's a good framework for maybe people to take stock of when embarking upon joining this space. So key considerations to make um if looking to enter the space. So understand this is all very basic stuff.

How are my current skills relevant in web three? What skills do I need to improve upon? What do I want from a new career? Again, as I said earlier, there's huge scope for people to completely reinvent themselves in this industry. What are my personal values?

Again, some projects are better than others to put it mildly. How much do I value job security? Again, you'll often see projects um yeah um you'll often see projects do these massive um raises, then couple of months after TGE, half their teams are out of work looking for work. Um and that comes back to job security. How much do I value job security?

And what sacrifices am I um prepared to make to facilitate this ch this change? And with that, what am I responsive to change? And am I prepared to work in um fast-paced environments? because again no two days are the same and things are constantly changing right so personal branding um it's been remarkably successful for my own career and um again I used the phrase don't say you're passionate prove it and nobody will give you a job in this space because you say you're passionate you have to prove it and a great way to do that is personal branding I always used a friend of mine who was working around FTX time in a big multinational. He didn't want to be known as the crypto guy in the office.

So he and he made his Twitter account anonymous and started helping a pro bono project after a couple of months after he built a small little community after sharing his insights and within a year he was a full-time member and now he's pretty well known in the space actually. But um yeah um LinkedIn is my go-to for personal branding. Again, if you're a developer, um you're looking to get a job in a particular ecosystem, showcase previous projects, demonstrate a pro proof of interest within that ecosystem, and yeah, if you're a designer, have a good active behance prof portfolio as well. It's an open source industry. So, show your contributions, demonstrate your passion, demonstrate proof of interest.

Yeah, Salana. So again, Salana super teams globally have been doing amazing work um in terms of onboarding people into the space. Um I was on a panel discussion virtually with a senior member of the Salena team and apparently they onboarded as many devs in the last quarter as they had as they have over the 2024 alone. So the electric capital report with respect to Salana will be very interesting and yeah again super teams are doing a great job of onboarding people from web two to web three and there's other ecosystems that are catching up and doing great as well like base as well. So yeah, so demonstrate proof of interest.

Um, educate yourself. There's a great 12week program for from the University of NOSA. The next onboarding is actually this month. Um, and it's a good high high level overview for people looking to join the space. And yeah, you get a certificate um of completion on the Bitcoin blockchain afterwards.

There's a ton of free good um courses on Udemy for example as well other courses then if you're interested in security like cipher and updraft and yeah proof of interest demonstrate your have a web three portfolio whether it's a GitHub behans whatever um your skill set um always be building your network ABC always be connecting I can't emphasize that enough so if you're applying for a job on a job board yes apply for the job on the job board but also try and reach out to somebody from the company and tell them you're interested. Try and get in a virtual coffee. Demonstrate your worth and then from there have somebody internally advocating for you so that your resume ultimately isn't lost in the pile. And again, I can't emphasize this enough. A good referral in this space cannot cannot be understated.

Um I would say that around 90% of jobs within this industry are filled via word of mouth. So again, ABC always be connecting. Build your personal brand, participate in Dow societies, etc. Start your own pet project as well. Again, going back to Salana Super Teams, great for that.

And yeah, there's a lot of ecosystems now giving out generous grants to pro people, founders looking to build at the intersection of blockchain and AI as well. So great way to get involved is just help do some proono work. Do an hour or two with a project that may maybe recently raised funding. They can't afford to pay you yet but will. And I mean just an hour or two a a week just demonstrate proof of interest.

And with that you'll be able to demonstrate to future employers that one you're interested and two you have a relatively good understanding of web three culture because the working culture that this industry presents it has to be it's it's a lift experience. You can't explain it really on a textbook. Follow VC money if you're looking to join a project. So if you're a designer, for example, reach out to the founder maybe directly. It could be a project that recently did some preede funding.

They might require a designer full-time, but they might require maybe a part-time designer, someone help them out a couple of weeks. Help them out. Then that opportunity leads to another opportunity. Then you have somebody else maybe within an ecosystem advocating for you. Yeah.

So participate in hackathons. Yeah, attend or organize meetups as well. So yeah, ecosystem target and networking. I think this is a great hack for anyone looking to join into the space fulltime. So whether it's just identify an ecosystem that you're interested in because projects like to hire people who have shown an interest in their ecosystem and with that you could say that maybe the industry from a hiring perspective is is a little bit ecosystem myopic.

So some Salena projects might only want to hire people that work for other Salena projects and on and on. So yeah, I would say that ecosystem targeted networking is a great way to um fasttrack your career in this industry. So what that mean? Find an in find an ecosystem that um identifies with you. Find mentors in that ecosystem that can help you.

Reach out to the key players in that ecosystem directly. You'll find that in this industry a lot of good people are willing to help and yeah ensure that when when you get in those virtual coffees then um yeah showcase your value um offer opinions if you're a community lead offer opinion on competitive strategies suggest ways that you can help in community engagement suggest maybe online event ideas potential collaborations etc. And when you're on those virtual coffees building your network, ask for more interest who can help me get to where I want to be. And often times those key players, if you make a good impression, they will help. So yeah, again stress that you're willing to work a few hours a week pro bono, chances are maybe if you reach out to, for example, a head of grants at an ecosystem, they'll surely know some project looking for an extra pair of hands.

Start helping them out. build your credibility in that ecosystem and ultimately that will fasttrack your career in in that ecosystem and then that will fasttrack your career in the industry generally speaking. So yeah again I asked a developer last year for a LinkedIn post what tips would you give to an aspiring devril um or I asked a devrell rather what tips would you give to an aspiring devril and they come back with this educate yourself create content and build community i.e. getting your name out there.

Network with other devrils, start networking with other developers, understand their needs, motivations and opinions. So with that as well, you're networking, you're also getting yourself out there. Your your timeline is your resume and assume you're the role of a devil as well. So again with the education, upskill, do solidity boot camps, read technical documentation, build your personal brand and start networking. ABC always be connecting.

Yeah. So if you are a say for example a junior social media manager for example and you're looking to get into the space and what you should try and do maybe with the head of socials for that project for example is how can I save you time? That's the attitude you should have going into a potential meeting with that person. How can I be their force multiplier? And that could mean if it's a social media job, you could be reaching out to members of the community, getting a vibe check, helping brainstorm with various different campaigns, etc.

, etc. So that's a great tip for maybe somebody looking to get into the space that hasn't much experience looking to get experience. How can I save the person that I will be working for time? Because again, social media being the example, a lot of senior people can be in the trenches when they shouldn't be in the trenches. So yeah, again this is a lot of this is overlapping.

So yeah, um social media resume, we'll touch on that in a minute. Have a good portfolio if you're looking to join the space. Demonstrate proof of interest again and ace that job interview. So yeah, um again, yeah. So again, going back to the Coinbase example, on track to receive 1.

5 million applications this year, you'd be naive to think that every resume there would be carefully considered. And ultimately, when you're you're submitting on the job board as well, you need to have your resume properly optimized for success because yeah, job boards get hundreds of applications per role and a lot of people scanning high volume rs, they only read it for anywhere between 5 to 10 seconds. So the first half of your first page has to be ace. Um it has to I'll just tip. Yeah.

So you need to have a clear font and a killer hook. Um accessible link so that the person can immediately reach into your GitHub Behance portfolio whatever it may be and then have your have maybe three four achievements and let the first half of your first page be the hook to get the person to read down further. Yeah. So avoid double column resumes. Again, going back to the 5-second rule, double column resumes, somebody doesn't know whether to look left or right when and that takes up 2 seconds.

And while it's only 2 seconds, it is actually um it is it is actually vital. And yeah, no photos on your resume um either. No home addresses. Um a lot of non-native speakers also they struggle on their resume to distinguish between past and present tense. No more than two pages.

If you're writing your resume as well, don't go try not to go back more than 10 years either. Um, keywords are important, but just don't don't take the mick. And the most vital thing is when you're framing your experiences, frame them as achievements rather than basic duties. So, you want the the interviewer at the interview to ask you how did you do this, not what did you do. Yeah.

So, yeah, very basic stuff. Um but with respect to um situation, tasks, action, and result, I'd like to focus on that for a second. Um because um that's the best way to prepare for interviews. So what I always recommend people that may be struggling with interviews and back when I worked in web 2 for example, I wasn't a great interview person myself, but what really helped me was competency based questions. print out a list of competency based questions and it'll make you think about your previous experiences in ways you can't imagine and practice answering those questions aloud and when you answer those questions as well in the sta s format situation task action and result so if you're framing your resume as achievements you're already already showing the recruiter or the hiring manager the results now it's up to you in the interview to showcase the situation at hand, the task and the action that led to the result.

So yeah, interviewing is like dating. Um again, um were my difficult questions answered? Um again, be careful as well. There's still a lot of fake recruiters operating on various different platforms which ultimately has led to various different social engineering hacks. Um again, a red flag as well.

Was I asked a legal question? illegal questions during the interview. So, some job ads, embarrassingly enough in this industry. Um, look for young and hungry people, which is completely illegal and doesn't bode well for probably the culture within those projects. Um I've often heard women saying to me that um they were asked their children in interview settings which is obviously desperate but um yeah again sometimes um yeah sometimes web three interviews can be let's just say um questions are asked that um from an equal employment opportunity perspective shouldn't be asked and what yeah try and gauge the interview were and did they get any subtle clues from the interview itself and yeah did I get a thorough understanding of what's expected of me in the role.

So what I always say to uh candidates is um with regards to try and understand what's expected of me in the role from in the first 30 days, 60 days and 90 days. So because a lot of projects end up hiring, they raise a boatload of money and ultimately they think they need a head of marketing. They might need a head of marketing. They might they think they need a head of product. They might need a head of product.

they might need just a product manager and yeah so try and see has the employer a good road map for the role as well and ultimately um yeah it's a great industry to be in can't recommend it highly enough and yeah again um just on the job security perspective I would say that um over 70% of tokenized projects from 2021 have lost over 90% in value so that gives gives you a gauge as to how fickle job sec job security is in web 3 and you'll often find web 3 candidates they might be relatively content in their role but they'll always keep one eye open so anyway it's been an absolute pleasure coming to Warsaw really amazing people great community and yeah three minutes under time Okay. Ow. And we still have some time for questions. Uh do we have any questions from the audience?

So, thank you very much for for the talk. I think it's really helpful for the community. Quick question. Uh you did mention the um salary chart etc. Uh, as you probably know, there was uh this kind of I don't know drama or thing on crypto Twitter recently uh about CMOs earning 400k a year annually with 1.

5% equity. Some people say it's fake, some people not. Okay. But um Okay. So, curious.

So, like but what's the what's the high range on this? Like how far was that?

So, you're asking me for benchmarking on CMOS. Okay. So that's a great question and one that I can't define.

And where does that came from? If you know if you have any details.

So there is there is roles out there albeit very very rare. I'd say less than 1% of head of marketing CMO roles within this industry do offer that amount of money but they are exceedingly rare. And yeah, again you that was a tweet to be honest, but um yeah, I would it depends really. It's again it's a globally distributed industry and salary that it can be very hard to determine um in various different disciplines. Um it's very it's much easier for say for example for a protocol engineering role.

But for marketing it depends what arenas they want to be more active in, what verticals do they want to be active in. Um, again you can find CMOS from anywhere from 100K to 200K. I would say that's typically the range. And again, going back to the graph as well, you'll find that yeah, it's a weird one because in 2021 there was marketers that were say earning 150k, no problem. Um, but the problem was is that they were only in the role for three months.

They no longer needed marketing. Retail went away. And ultimately those same people were happy to work for say 100k or even less. So again it's it's a wild industry and um I do have sympathy for marketers in that perspective because um they're probably the first on the firing line in many cases. Yeah.

I actually have another question. So um I think there's um and I've been on on both sides of that debate for um do you think it is important where you apply for the job from? So is your location important? Especially when you look at the salary component. So uh being both the employee and the employer, I I've been faced with a task such as do you have global salary brackets or do you localized your do you localize your salaries?

What's your take on that?

That's a fantastic question as well. And I would say that um so in 2021 when things were absolutely booming um generally speaking it didn't matter where one was from as long as the person had the skills and yeah were yeah had had good experience. Um however that's changed in recent years. Um again in the last 2 three years projects have been more stricter on time zones and there is a somewhat of a growing um benchmarking per location um unfortunately in the space. Um that being said of course um it's yeah again most projects are fair in that um they will pay as per our skills.

Um however for example there yeah again um what I would say to that effect is um trying to best word it here um but yeah what I'm trying to say is um basically there is a growing number of projects in the space that will we're not paying X for somebody from Y and unfortunately that is the case but it's not it's it's the exception rather than the norm still thankfully and yeah sometimes it can work as an advant advantage for me as a head hunter as well. I I won't lie. Um because often times I get mandates that say, "Oh, we're not paying US salaries." And what that typically means is it's a phrase I've heard a lot. So what's been great about hiring in Eastern Europe and the Balkans especially, especially devs, is that I can find top class backend engineers, good, very good protocol engineers that wouldn't command as high a salary um as US developers or Switzerland developers.

So yeah, but of course I'm all in favor of equal work. Um equal pay for equal work. Yeah.

So startups are still looking for cheap labor in uh central eastern Europe.

Um I won't say cheap because um

cheaper than even though the skills are the same, it's still

Yeah. But again, these projects could be preede to have limited runway. So they want to preserve that runway and equally they acknowledge that the talent is here in these Balkan regions in the Eastern European regions and yeah um it's for that reason I won't lie it's been um great for helping me find backend engineers BD professionals and again the talent is here in abundance um I have to say I've been successful in hiring two people from Poland over the last 12 months and um great communicators typical no BS conversations and yeah no um yeah

amazing Amazing. Good for us. Good for post. Um Owen, thank you so much for joining us on stage.