How to hire blockchain developers | A 6-Step Process

Blockchain is among the most sought-after skill sets and is in top demand in the IT industry. A report estimates growth of 540 million in India's labor force by the end of 2025, where digital skills like blockchain will be in high demand. 

Hiring blockchain developers has many benefits, including reducing fraudulent activity since blockchain is an immutable distributed database. Blockchain developers can also ensure high data security through encryption, making it safe for transactions. 

Blockchain developers also play an important role in streamlining business processes by bringing in efficiency. If you want to hire blockchain developers, this detailed guide will help you navigate the process. 

6 Steps to Hire Blockchain Developers

Blockchain developers’ average salary can go as high as USD 132K per year, with a minimum base salary of USD 60K and a maximum of USD 250K. So, hiring a misfit can cost the company both time and money. 

With Gloroots as a partner for hiring international employees or global outsourcing, all associated processes become effortless. Be it maintaining 100% compliance in hiring or managing multi-currency or crypto payroll, Gloroots EOR services can handle it all. 

Before partnering with an EOR to hire blockchain developers, here's what you must consider.

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1. Understand the company's need for a blockchain developer

Before you hire blockchain developers, understand the needs of the company and the kind of blockchain solution you want to build. There are several applications of blockchain technology, like supply chain management, voting systems, and decentralized finance or DeFi. Knowing the need will help you identify the right skillsets and background experience for hiring the top blockchain developers. 

2. Identify the blockchain expertise 

You may need to hire blockchain experts in various position types. While each company is different and may have unique requirements (and need to create specific position types), some of the common position types for blockchain developers include the following:

Core blockchain developer

The core blockchain developers work on the underlying blockchain network and architecture, designing the protocol, optimizing the environment and constant monitoring, and ensuring a secure environment for decentralized applications to work smoothly. 

Blockchain software developer

The core responsibility of the blockchain software developer is to create decentralized applications and smart contracts for a blockchain network to function smoothly. They take care of the census protocols and network architecture. 

Blockchain software developers are key in front-end and back-end development, API development, and blockchain integrations. They are also involved in the client-side application development. While enterprises might divide their roles as blockchain developers, blockchain solutions architects, or blockchain project managers in smaller organizations or startups, the same person might have to fill multiple roles. 

Frontend Developers

Frontend developers are key in converting software design into computer languages like JavaScript, CSS code, C++, HTML, etc. It's the responsibility of the front-end developer to create a website visual that looks and works exactly as designed across various devices. A front-end developer should have strong knowledge of Node, Express, CSS, HTML, etc. 

Blockchain Application Developers

Blockchain application developers use various programming languages and codes to work at the backend of the application development. They use various languages like Java and C++ to create blockchain capabilities like distributed, decentralized, and public and private systems. 

Smart contract engineers

Apart from these position types mentioned above, you may also work with different blockchain developers who are experts in smart contract languages like Python, Solidity, Go, etc. The smart contract engineers focus on developing and editing smart contracts, end-to-end testing, smooth flow of the process, and security in smart contracts. 

Apart from these position types, you may also need to hire backend developers to provide technical support, design and develop APIs, conduct performance tests, and establish new technology requirements for better software design. 

Once you know the job responsibilities and company goals, narrow down your search based on the kind of blockchain technical knowledge you need your employee to have. Start looking for blockchain developers with the right skill set. Determine the proficiency level you need for the role — senior, junior, or intermediate positions. Noting down all these details can help you hire better.

3. Create JD

Now, it's time to create the job description. Be clear in your job description so the applicant knows their roles and responsibilities. A detailed job description can help you save time and hire the right person. 

Here's a sample job description for the blockchain developer role.

XYZ company is looking for a skilled blockchain developer to design, implement, and distribute a blockchain-based network. The incumbent needs to analyze the business needs and develop customized solutions. The person will also need to launch and maintain our blockchain network. 

The candidate should have programming languages and working experience in cryptography. It's a plus if you have efficient digital transaction knowledge.

Basic Blockchain Developer Responsbilities

• Collaborating with managers to assess blockchain technology needs and envisaged functionalities.
• Creating application features and interfaces 
• Experience writing multithreaded codes.

Blockchain Developer Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in information security(IT) or computer science(CS)
• At least five years of working experience in a blockchain developer role
• Strong knowledge of programming languages like C++, Java, and Python
• Experience in back-end development, algorithms, and data structures
• Knowledge of cryptography and blockchain protocols
• Advanced analytical skills
• Good problem solver
• Strong organizational skills
• Attention to detail
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities

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4.  Assess tech skills & soft skills/ Screening

You must thoroughly screen the candidates for tech and soft skills to find the right fit. While each role is unique and aligned with the organization's goals, here are some key tech and soft skills to look for.

Assessing tech skills for blockchain developers

Blockchain Architecture

A good blockchain developer must understand the architecture and how the network supports the architecture. They should have a strong grip on cryptography, hash functions, decentralized functions, and smart contracts. Knowledge of consensus algorithms like proof of stake and different blockchain architectures like hybrid, public, and private are also essential. 

Cryptography

Cryptography helps secure the blockchain environment so that there is no tampering with it. Blockchain developers should have a strong base in cryptography and must be familiar with concepts like digital signatures, keys, and wallets. 

They should also know about public key cryptography and how to prevent unauthorized data access, hash functions, digital signatures, different types of encryption, permission blockchains, and permissionless blockchains. 

Smart Contracts

Smart contracts are digital contracts that empower two parties to carry out transactions without the necessity of an intermediary. Smart contracts are an important concept in blockchain. So, your blockchain developers must understand smart contracts and how they work on business logic. The developers should also know how to build and test smart contacts and know programming languages like Solidity, Vyper, and Chaincode. 

Web Developments

As blockchain emphasizes decentralized applications, blockchain developers should have a thorough knowledge of web development, technologies supporting web applications, and how to secure those applications. They must have some experience in blockchain web applications. 

Distributed System

Another key technical skill to look for in a blockchain developer is the knowledge of distributed system and how it functions in a peer-to-peer network. 

Programming Languages

Although blockchain developers can't be proficient in every programming language, they should have strong knowledge of common blockchain programming languages like Java, JavaScript, and Python. They should also be familiar with the development language for smart contracts. 

Data structure

Data structure is an important component of blockchain. A blockchain developer needs to work with data structure regularly; hence, they need to know how it works in blockchain technology. They must also be comfortable working with different types of data structures like hash trees, graphs, heaps, linked lists, etc. Developers should also know how to look for data or modify them in data structures. 

Assessing soft skills for blockchain developers

While hiring blockchain developers, you must also look for certain soft skills apart from tech skills. 2023 The Future of Recruiting report says that recruiters will need to focus on more strategic soft skill sets in the future. 

• 78% of recruiting pros say that communication is the essential soft skill set, 
• 73 % stress relationship building, and 
• 58% focus on adaptability, followed by problem-solving and business acumen. 

5.  Interview

Design your interview questions aligned with the job role and the organization's goals. The interview questions should be a mix of theoretical knowledge of blockchain and practical applications that the candidate has done in their past job roles.

Here are some sample blockchain developer interview questions to ask.

• What's the difference between blockchain and hyperledger?
• How will you explain blockchain technology to your grandmother?
• What is a Merkel tree?
• Why does blockchain need tokens to operate?
• Explain peer discovery in a peer-to-peer network.
• How do verifiers verify the validity of a block?
• Explain a scriptPubKey.
• How a P2SH address can be spent?

6. Clarify blockchain developer salary ranges

Blockchain developers are in high demand, while there's a scarcity of talent. So, the salaries of blockchain developers are high across the globe. Here are some data on blockchain developer salary across the globe.

Conclusion 

If you're looking to hire blockchain developers for your global team, Gloroots can help you hire the best blockchain developers remotely. 

Right from contractor onboarding to managing international contractor payroll and tax split according to the countries in the contractor payroll, Gloroots can do all the heavy lifting so that you can get into operations right away. 

Plus, Gloroots ensures all hiring and contracting are done according to the compliance regulations of the concerned countries so that you can hire internationally without much worry. 

Want to learn more about Gloroots? Get in touch today.