How You Can Get A Job In Web 3
How Networking Increases Your Chances In Web 3
Web 3 is still very new. The space is in the process of forming, and many companies come and go each day. Positions aren’t as refined yet as you, as someone who might be looking for a job in the space, would wish for, which can lead to a lot of confusion. Furthermore, especially Solidity positions are usually advertised as senior-only. Mistakes simply cost too much money in this space, and companies don’t seem ready to allocate enough time and resources to train new smart contract engineers.
All this leads to an interesting problem for job seekers: It’s super challenging to find a job, and many applications never get answered, or you get rejection after rejection. But it doesn’t have to be this way if you apply the right strategies to your job search.
The magical word, in this case, is Networking. We will look at what you can do to get noticed by hiring managers and founders and what you should avoid.
Networking
Networking is the process of forming meaningful connections with other people. Those people can be anything, from potential clients to potential employers. The goal is to get to know them, talk to them regularly, and get a platform where you can showcase what you are capable of.
In Web 3, this is more important than everywhere else. Networking can distinguish between never hearing back from any company and being regularly offered new positions with increasing salaries.
There are many ways you can network, and it’s essential to be self-aware enough to choose only those ways you are really comfortable with. You won’t need to apply all strategies listed here. Instead, focus on those that give you the least headache and execute them well.
A few strategies that are proven to work:
- Create content on the internet
- Join a community and be a valuable member
- Open Source
- Local Meetups
Proven Strategies Of Networking As A Developer
Create content on the internet
This strategy is also proven to work in any other field. Write blog posts, tweet educational content on Twitter, post infographics to Instagram, start a YouTube channel and talk about the space.
Whatever you decide to do (and you don’t need to do everything), it exposes you and your knowledge to the world out there. The effect is usually not immediate, and it can take quite some time, but it has an accumulating effect. Especially long-form content on blogs and YouTube stays for a very long time, and it doesn’t vanish as quickly as tweets or Instagram posts do. And both platforms usually additionally rank on Google. This is free marketing for you. If you make it to the first page of the Google search for a term, that’s not only a lot of traffic but also many chances for someone to notice you who might be in search of a new colleague.
One blog post a week and one video a month can already be enough to build your brand slowly. It’s not about getting followers in this case (although that is a nice side effect), and it’s about creating awareness for you.
Join a community and be a valuable member
There are quite a few Web 3 communities out there these days, and it does not only make sense to join them for learning purposes but also to stay longer and help other people. Sometimes, you’ll make a connection in those communities that could refer you to your first/next job.
Many of those communities are based on Discord and have a more or less active user base. Some of them are DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organisations) with the goal of teaching people Web 3, and others are just regular learning platforms with a built-in community.
Join a few of those and see whether one sticks with you. And then just be a member. Share your learning journey, ask for help, help others, and maybe share your projects. This all builds your credibility within the community itself, and when you make a name for yourself, people might start to recognize you even outside of that community.
Open Source
The world runs on open source, and even the largest tech companies in the world rely on open source themselves and also regularly contribute to it.
If you are not the extrovert type of person who loves to interact with others regularly, you can still showcase what you are capable of by building everything in public.
Upload your projects to GitHub, open-source libraries you build, or simply contribute to other projects. This not only strengthens your own developer skills but also helps you build up your reputation. And who knows, you might even become a core member of a popular open-source project this way.
Interestingly, many recruiters and hiring managers even monitor GitHub these days and write emails to regular contributors of projects. The math is simple. If someone can contribute to a widely-used project, they are most probably also qualified to work for a company.
And even if no recruiter or hiring manager picks you up, you’ll have a great portfolio to showcase on your applications. And you will still make connections with other people. Instead of a Discord, your discussions will occur in issues, building relationships.
Local Meetups
Not everyone enjoys putting themselves on the internet. Especially chat-based communication gives many people a headache. But if you are still a people person, you could start your own meetup or join an existing one. Depending on where you live, interest might not be as huge as you’d love to, but even one meaningful connection can be enough to make a difference. Just try it out. If there is already an existing meetup, all you have to do at the beginning is to show up. That’s only some commitment of time. As soon as you feel comfortable, try to do a talk and talk about something interesting you recently learned. As an organizer, you probably only have to organize and moderate a little.
It’s all up to you how much work you want to put into meetups, but you should not underestimate them only because they are local.
A Few Worthwhile Web 3 Communities To Join
Odyssey DAO
Odyssey DAO aims to teach as many people as possible Web 3. It has a great community built-in that is also very active.
LearnWeb3 DAO
LearnWeb3 DAO is another DAO aimed to teach people about Web 3. It also has a community already built-in.
Buildspace
Buildspace is probably the most popular learning platform for Web 3 right now, at least according to its happy users on Twitter. Their community on Discord is active and strong.
Web3 University
The Web 3 University also aims at teaching you everything about Web 3. It does a pretty good job doing so, by leveraging a great community and many other learning platforms.
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