Finding a Job in Web3 - Owen Healy | Owen Healy Blockchain Talent

Hi everyone. Hope all is well. And yeah, just um first and foremost, this presentation won't be anywhere near as interesting as the last one. So um yeah, um I guess bit about myself. I'm from Ireland, not the UK.

Um yeah, working in recruitment in web three for the last four and a half years and yeah work with everything from exchanges, market makers, layer ones, bitcoin defi projects um yeah so thoroughly enjoy it, love it and yeah like most people working in the space um little bit obsessed about what I do but um yeah just this presentation will be more so geared towards people looking to join the industry and yeah, general networking and a few tips and tricks on how to create the perfect resume and how to perform in interviews as well. So, I guess yeah, if there's two pieces of advice to give you um in terms of getting into web 3, I would guesstimate that 80 90% of jobs in the industry are filled via word of mouth. So just with that understand that you're your best recruiter and your network is your net worth. And if there's nothing to learn from this presentation, just take these these two points at hand. Um it's very much a global village still in web 3 and it's a globally distributed industry and word of mouth counts for an awful lot.

So um yeah so ultimately why work in web 3 um so yeah I guess there is a yeah it's exciting there's a sense of prosperity it's very credentials agnostic so there's a great sense of meritocracy um a lot of autonomy which is great it's a remote first globally distributed industry a lot of growth opportunities people get the opportunities to completely reinvent themselves which which is absolutely amazing. There's a sense of ownership as well. So, a lot of Yeah. So, again, I've previously hired people that have done substantially well out of their vesting schedule. Um, so incentives are aligned.

I've also on the other side hire people that haven't that haven't even finished their first year. But anyway, and the culture is amazing too. And working in this industry, yes, it can be stressful. Yes, it can be full on, but it's fun and it's impactful. So, yeah, ultimately you need to be obsessed to join this industry when there's a lot of green candles in the market.

I'll often get a lot of messages from people saying, I want to join web three, but they have no credentials to show it. They've done no courses. They've done nothing. So, naturally, a little bit dubious. Um, so you need to be obsessed if you want to join this industry.

You don't want a job in web 3, you want a purpose in web 3. And I can't emphasize that enough. And just on that point, um this is a quick um um framework that I often um use. So understand your why because in this industry it's great for people to reinvent themselves. Um Paul, our previous speaker here was uh um a developer and now as a marketing specialist, an amazing one at that.

And I've also seen developers turn marketers and it's a great opportunity to completely reinvent yourself in a professional capacity. So yeah, and ultimately blockchain, we're on the cusp of blockchain transforming every industry as well. So yeah, understand what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and most importantly, um what you can get paid for as well. So key considerations to make before joining this industry again it is 247 365 um and yeah you need to be intrinsically motivated I personally believe um to enjoy it and succeed in it. So how are my current skills relevant in web 3?

Super important question for those looking to um join the space and reinvent themselves. What skills do I need to improve upon or build on? All very basic stuff. What do I want from my new career? What are my personal values?

How much do I value job security? And that is a very very um important one in this industry because projects get hacked, they pivot, they restructure. And I would say average tenure in web three for a person is probably around a year. So um you're not if you want to get job security go somewhere else. Um what sacrifices am I prepared to make to facilitate this change.

So again I use the word obsessed you need to be obsessed and work life balance can often be a challenge touching grass. Yeah. Um am I responsive to change? A lot of multitasking. Um so in marketing you could be yeah in the trenches quite a lot.

social media, writing, you name it, strategy across all spectrums, even some devril work. And am I prepared to work in a fast-paced environment because you're literally spinning plates in every which way direction. So, yeah. Um, proof of interest. Nobody's going to give you a job because you want to join Web 3.

You have to prove that you're interested. And if you want to get full-time, meaningful paid employment, you're going to have to demonstrate um proof of interest. So, first and foremost, educate yourself, demonstrate proof of interest so that when you're looking for that first opportunity and you're networking and you're trying to convert on online relationships offline, you can show that you've demonstrated a proof of interest and that you actually want to join the space and you actually have an inherent interest in the technology. So, educate yourself. I always recommend the University of Nikosia 12week introduction to digital currencies program.

It's relatively high level, good introduction, good onboarding, and you have a certificate on the Bitcoin blockchain at the end of it as well. And it's completely free. And then there's obviously a whole host of Udemy courses. And if you're a QA looking to get into um blockchain security for example, you can read reports on code arena and various different other um platforms. So yeah, build your web three portfolio um whether it's on GitHub, Behance, Medium, whatever.

Show proof of interest. Um build your network, build your personal brand. Again, a friend of mine had a about around FTX time, had a very corporate job, didn't want to be known as the um crypto guy in his office and ultimately had an anon um Twitter account and ultimately was able to build a small personal brand on Twitter and within six months was able to get a job within the crypto space. So there is ways if you don't want to um yeah so anon accounts are great for people that don't want to be known I guess and have a corporate job and don't want to ruin their reputation in the in their in their current job looking to move into web 3. So yeah, participate in communities, Dows, societies, start your own pet project.

Again, all pretty basic stuff. Um, do some pro bono work. Great way to get started. Just demonstrate that proof of interest. Get your foot in the door.

And when you do some a pro proono work, free work for maybe an hour or two, a week, for maybe a month or two, you're just getting a a flavor of web three culture as well. And that's something that can't be read on a textbook. It has to be experienced to be believed. And yeah, follow VC money. Um, if you're looking to get that pro bono work as well with so project do a small raise and they might not want to design her full-time for example, but they might want to designer for two or three hours a week.

You can reach out to the founder directly and often times they might want to speak. So various different ways and means participate in hackathons and yeah attend or organize meetups like super team Balkans. Um very impressed speaking to those guys this week and if you are looking to start your own pet project super team Balkans could be a great place to start. So um yeah people search don't job hunt be your own head hunter especially if you're lacking experience in the industry. Um and again I find that projects like to hire people who demonstrated an interest in their ecosystem.

So if you are looking to fasttrack your career within the blockchain tech space I would say pick an ecosystem whether it's Avalanche Algorand and identify key players within those ecosystems because projects again like to hire people who shown an active interest in their ecosystems. Um so yeah with that I guess find an ecosystem that you like um find mentors in that ecosystem reach out to key players directly you'll find that a lot of people are willing to help once you reach out out to them um yeah so this is what I call ecosystem targeted networking which is very very effective and has helped multiple people um so yeah for example ensure each key player um understands that knows that you understand the industry and the project. So for example, if you're a community lead talk, you can send a one pager or a few lines with regards to competitor strategies. Um propose event ideas for onboarding new members. Yeah.

And yeah, stress that you're willing to do a few hours a week pro bono just to get started. And yeah, then you have somebody internally in projects prominent in an ecosystem effectively advocating for you, keeping an eye open for you as well. So yeah, and a good tip as well is if when you're looking to get your first opportunity in web 3 or just looking to get your foot in the door in a web three project, again, think of time as a commodity. And what I mean by that is marketer in the trenches want to get out of the trenches and focus on more high level tasks. How can you help that marketer get out of the trenches and how can you as a incoming person helping out for maybe an hour or two every week free up their workload?

Simple as that. So yeah, um tips for getting hired, strong social media presence. Can't recommend it enough. um do a lot of posting myself. It's been great for my career.

Um resume, good clear resume, good solid portfolio and acing your interview. Again, all very basic stuff. So yeah, for writing your resume, think like a recruiter. Um, so yeah, you have only 5 seconds really to impress a recruiter, especially if you're at a big exchange like Kraken or Coinbase are probably getting about a thousand um applicants. And yeah, so realistically they're not looking for the best candidates.

They're looking to kind of remove the candidates that are less relevant. So that's just something to be aware of. Um, yeah. So resume tips, clear font. um don't like squinting my don't like squinting my eyes for example.

The most important thing is have a killer hook and a brilliant hundword executive summary. Can't emphasize that enough. If you have a double column column resume as well and think about it from a 5-second perspective. I'm wasting a second or two seconds looking left or right. Then you've only three seconds left to make a good impression.

So again, I don't mean to sound cruel, but um if you are looking at high numbers or resumes day in day out, um again, a killer hook instantly um captivate the attention of the reader. And that's where the killer hook executive summary um is very effective. Accessible links. So your GitHub, your Behance portfolio, your LinkedIn should be at the very top of your resume as well because ultimately if you're a developer, um first thing the CTO is going to do is going to look for your open source contributions and may not even scroll down to the rest of your resume. So yeah, avoid double column resumes.

As I said, keywords are important, but just don't take don't overkill. Um consistently update your resume. No more than two pages. Don't go back more than 10 years. Um, past tense versus present tense, especially for non-English speakers.

A lot of times, non-English-speaking um, job seekers can speak in the present tense without talking about um, past experience. That's very embarrassing if it's a marketing candidate as well. No home addresses from a security perspective, obviously. And I would nearly say no phone numbers either. um just an email and no photos.

So yeah, it's just basic stuff now lads. Um fail fail prepare, prepare to fail in interview. Um like any interview um and yeah, this is especially good for people that are str that typically struggle in interviews. So get a list of 30 competency based questions and practice answering them in the st format situation task action and result and that will get you thinking about your previous experience experiences and also it'll help you become more confident in interview processes as well and just be honest as well in interviews because um yeah sometimes a lot of people um in crypto especially they can you they can speak as if it's a one-man army sometimes at that in what they're doing at certain projects. So um yeah um I often tell companies hiring get the story not the glory and yeah competency based questions are actually great for employers as well to um kind of as a BS detector I would say.

So okay yeah interviewing is like dating. We're nearly finished so I do appreciate you guys um for um sitting it out for so long. must be difficult. But um yeah um um yeah so again when you're interviewing for a job in web three oftentimes it's early stage and you're not getting a you're not going for a job you're literally going to war with this person and interviewing should be like dating effectively. So, um, ask difficult questions.

Again, as I said earlier, projects pivot. There's no job securities. Projects get hacked. They're restructured all the time. So, ultimately try and find a project that you're very passionate about.

Obviously, one that pays well, but also kind of look out for red flags as well. And where are my difficult questions answered properly? So, ask questions about the runway, the team, the road map, various different common things. Yeah. Um I guess diversity and inclusion is still a problem in the crypto industry, I would say.

Um fair to say. So I've heard of candidates explaining to me um quite enraged that they've been asked about questions like their religion, their political status, and their family status, for example, as well, which from a HR perspective is former HR professional here, completely illegal. So, um, yeah, that's I I'd find that personally a big red flag if you're asked kind of inappropriate questions like that. And yeah, ultimately, did I get a thorough understanding of what's expected of me um in the role? So, a lot of times technical founders obviously very competent, super intelligent, but ultimately sometimes they just don't understand what they're looking for.

So if they're so try and get a a a road map from the project as well. What do you expect from me in the first 30 days, 60 days and 90 days to see if I'm actually needed? And when they can answer if they can answer that question, um great. Um because likelihood is you'll be on boarded better into the project. And if they're honest and say they can't, well then at least you know that you're working with a sincere person.

But if you're getting if they're trying to BS you, well then yeah, then you know. Um yeah. Anyway, thank you Belgrade. Um just to say as well that um I've huge respect for um Serbian people. I've worked with some great engineers from Serbia, especially as a head hunter over the last four and a half years.

Huge respect for you guys. Super talented. And yeah, any questions? Yeah, but thanks for sitting it out. [Applause] Yes, we have a question over here.

Um, hey Owen. Uh, great hearing your talk. So, I do have a couple of questions. So, my first question would be, um, how do I make my application stand out in the pile of all other applications? How do I prepare for an HR interview so that the recruiter recognizes that I took out the time to prepare for the interview and how important is is a portfolio.

Sorry, I know that's a lot, but I can

of course it depends on the stage of the project. Um, and it depends on obviously your level of experience. If you're coming into the if you're coming like say if you're I would say if it's take a big exchange that is probably getting a couple hundred applications or maybe even a thousand plus applications per role try and find a hiring manager try and skip the recruiter and say I've seen this job application um and reach out to the person on LinkedIn I would be potentially interested can we get a virtual coffee and then you have somebody internally effectively advocating for you as a candidate And then you're getting the recruiter interview and yeah doesn't always work but could be an effective strategy and with that as well just basic stuff research the company try and understand the JD and ultimately yeah offer some suggestions and tips as well. So um yeah I don't know how to answer your question but I hope it helps.

Yeah uh yeah I think that's cool. And how on a let's say on a scale 1 to 10, how would you say uh how the how much is the portfolio important here in this case?

Absolutely. It's um crucial. Um yeah, good portfolio is really important. Um

what are the things you'd like to see there like as a as a recruiter?

Yeah, so just

for let's say marketing position. So yeah, so um ultimately uh for social media profiles, a good presence on Twitter is um it's very very important. I can't emphasize that enough. Um and I often have excellent social media managers tell me that they haven't time to build their own personal um Twitter account. Completely understandable.

But ultimately the for hiring social media people in specifically a lot of time the hiring manager will just look at their um Twitter account see um their contributions see where their interest areas are and ultimately um see kind of what kind of a following and engagement they get as well. So yeah um very very important for social media in particular and yeah ultimately a good portfolio um previous links previous campaigns yeah just a good portfolio um will ultimately again we're working in an open source industry so um yeah bring all your credentials to the table as well.

All right thanks so much and sorry for hugging the mic.

Okay we have one more from Paula.

Yes. So my question is there is uh many companies especially small startups that they are looking for jack of all trades or they don't know what they're looking for and basically they're looking for jack of all trades. So for example head of marketing without a marketing team so you are everything or a dev rail which is at the same time developing a product and doing the marketing. How do you approach companies like this when they want to hire without even knowing what they need?

Yeah. So that's a great question and often times it's a case of just exploring with the client ultimately breaking down what are their pain points now and ultimately helping them write a job description for themselves. So um yeah that's pretty much it and ultimately honestly as well after that then it's a case of trial and error. So after the first five or six candidates you get to get a feel of kind of what they like and what they don't like and they kind of understand more as the process goes on as well. So it's a often times it's a case of exploration as well.

And do you think that uh to be successful in crypto as a career not as a founder but when you want just to work somewhere you need to be a little bit of a jack of all trades?

Sorry.

Do you think that to be successful in your crypto career you need to be a little bit of a jack of all trades

at the moment? Yeah. Um yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.

Yeah. There is one more.

Hi Owen, thank you for the great talk. Uh I have one question from a developer standpoint. If a developer has been working, let's say for a while in a framework or a language and they would like to switch to another one, it seems like quite a daunting task. Do the steps or are the steps involved in that what you highlighted which is uh starting from scratch proono work or is the transition for for something like that uh different?

No. Um but I would highly encourage networking for example as well um and getting some more open contributions and ultimately learning and showing your own initiative as well. So again what I would say is um like anchor is probably substrate four years ago in terms of demand. So um yeah just connect with Salena founders, Salena developers and ultimately understand a bit more about um that from them and ultimately start maybe contributing to a few projects getting some open source repos for example and then the transition should be relatively seamless thereafter and then you have your little loan network within the Salana ecosystem thereafter. So like the industry from a hiring perspective can be very ecosystem myopic for example and with Salan especially like a lot of devs don't like going multi-chain as well so they like to kind of stick within their own lane.

Okay, thank you.

Are there any Oh, there is one more here. Yep, here you go.

Hey, hey, Owen, thank for the great speech. Uh, I hope you don't mind me asking two questions about AI. Uh, the first situation, uh, you are hiring for marketing role. You get two CES. The first one, uh, both CES are from non-native English speakers.

The first one is written uh the first CV is written uh in wordy way with mistakes uh with some weird phrases and the second one is polish it. It looks bad. It looks good but it is polished by chat GPT. Which one uh which one is better?

Um there is no such thing as a better one. Um using AI for your resume is absolutely perfectly fine. Um, but just don't take the piss. Um, just use um, yeah, just don't overkill on buzzwords. Still retain that authentic feel with your resume.

And yeah, um, and when writing your resume as well, just um, frame frame um, yeah, instead of writing basic duties, write about achievements instead. And that will set you up way better then for the interview because they'll ask you for example this campaign did this how did you what was your road map and um working on that campaign how did you achieve that result how did you grow this ex account from 5,000 followers to 20,000 followers so yeah frame basic duties as achievements in many respects on your resume but back to your question just yeah like you can integrate AI but just make sure you keep that authentic authentic feel and nobody likes to see spelling mistakes and resumes. Yeah. So yeah.

Okay. Thank you. And the second one is uh or short. I know that there are some teams uh who are using AI for automated resume screening. What's your opinion on that?

Sorry.

Uh some teams are using AI tools for automated ré screening. Uh what's your opinion on that? I can understand it to agree to a degree if there's a lot of applications, but ultimately um yeah, it's it's um ultimately I wouldn't be too in favor to be honest. Um yeah, and it's a yeah, we're at this point with AI that nobody really knows what's happening. Um for example, there's AI avatars now in some companies doing interviews, first round interviews, and it's absolutely completely crazy.

I met a guy about a month ago who had two round of interviews um with two different AI avatars and yeah um didn't even get to speak to a human. So um yeah so again we're at that stage with AI and again from an interview process as well um when a lot of people are using AI for um take-home tests as well and you can you can be found out very easily um when doing so as well. So um yeah just use AI to help you but as an aid but not as a as a as an outsourcing activity. Yeah

I see many things. Many thanks.

Thank you so much. We have two more minutes. So if there are any other questions. Ah yes there is one more followup.

Hi again. Uh, one question. Uh, could you explain a little more about why you would advise against using a photo in a CV? I see it very, uh, very often. A lot of people seem to do it.

What are your thoughts on that?

Yeah, just um, real estate and that's the um, so yeah, you ultimately um, go back to the five seconds. Um, you might be gorgeous, but I don't want to spend I don't want to be gazing at your photo for three or three or four seconds. Um yeah just um real estate like you want the executive summary top of your um resume that 100 words that's the first thing I look for so just make it a clear reader experience um yeah so that's pretty much the reason why and again there could be security you know some people will tell you about privacy and whatnot don't really care about that but um yeah just make the executive sum the executive summary is really your hook and after that you want after reading the executive summary you want the reader to keep scrolling down and the executive summary is the passport to do so and obviously the accessible links with it as well. So yeah, photos just take up too much real estate generally. Yeah.

Anyone else? Okay, if there are no more questions, thank you once again and one more applause for this really amazing presentation and