Your Guide to Hiring Blockchain Developers

Blockchain has seen massive growth over the past 5 years – it has become a change agent for many industries, Fintech and Banking being the biggest beneficiaries. As a result of this, the number of Blockchain vacancies continues to spike globally. According to the report of Indeed.com, the demand for Blockchain roles rose to a whopping 118% last year.

As Blockchain is still in its infancy, the pool of Blockchain developers is tight, especially when it comes to seasoned specialists. This presents a problem for many companies looking for experts to handle their Blockchain development projects or adopt this technology in their operations. So, to address this challenge, tech leaders need to know how to hire Blockchain developers. This post is a review of several key points you need to know when you are looking for Blockchain developers.

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What is a Blockchain developer?

A Blockchain developer is a programmer who specializes in developing applications and systems based on Blockchain – a continuous chain of blocks containing information that enables secure and transparent transactions. This makes it an ideal technology for applications such as cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, and supply chain management.

To give a more well-rounded answer to the question of "What is a Blockchain developer?," we should mention that there are several types of Blockchain developers for hire.

Core blockchain developers: Someone in this role will be an architect of your Blockchain system and be responsible for building blockchain protocols, consensus systems, and security patterns, and monitoring the whole architecture.

Blockchain software developers: These are experts in Blockchain app development within existing frameworks and protocols, including design, full-stack development, and support.

Cryptocurrency developers. Also known as crypto developers, these experts specialize in creating new coins or tokens and setting up environments for their usage.

Solidity developer. This professional uses Solidity as a programming language to develop Smart Contracts based on Ethereum.

Top Blockchain developer skills in 2023

As Blockchain is a relatively new technology, finding experienced Blockchain developers for hire can be tough. Yet, there are some essential skills that every candidate should possess. Let's take a closer look at them.

Blockchain architecture. When you hire a Blockchain developer, you should ensure they are well-versed in the technology's inner workings – how it functions and what it entails. With that in mind, it's a good idea to check their understanding of such Blockchain staples as consensus, distributed ledger, cryptographic hash functions, etc.

Cryptography. This is an essential skill for enabling cryptocurrency transactions in a Blockchain network. Cryptography relies on the encryption of data to protect it from unauthorized access. When you hire a Blockchain developer, check if they are on solid ground regarding their encryption and security skills.

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Data structures. Blockchain developers should be well-versed in data structures to build Blockchains and handle various data formats.

Smart Contracts. For many Blockchain business models, it's essential to integrate Smart Contracts into their systems. If it's exactly what you need, ensure your candidate has an understanding of principles and skills related to Smart Contract creation.

Programming languages. To develop Blockchain solutions for various purposes, it's essential to have a firm grasp of at least one programming language, including C, Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and others.

Solidity. Strong Solidity developers are essential if you have an Ethereum-based project. Thus, make it a point to put your candidates to the Solidity test as well.

Web development. Many solutions come in the form of Blockchain app development. If that's your case, check if your potential Blockchain developer for hire knows how to use web app development tools to design, develop and write code for web applications.

Knowledge of object-oriented programming. Blockchain development relies on the principles of OOP that help find elegant solutions to complex tasks. Thus, select Blockchain developers with experience in troubleshooting polymorphism and modularity.

Ways to hire Blockchain developers

If you are building a Blockchain development team from scratch, you may wonder how to do it properly. Below, we gathered several options that will help you access and hire Blockchain developers for your organization.

Freelance Blockchain developers

Freelance platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr are ripe with Blockchain developers for hire. However, looking for professionals through them can be akin to trying to find a needle in the haystack. In many cases, working with freelancers contradicts internal security policies. Moreover, managing freelancers can be challenging if you don't have enough resources for it. Thus, it only makes sense to cooperate with freelance Blockchain developers if your project is short-term.

In-house Blockchain development teams

On the other hand, if you deal with a long-term project, it can be reasonable to build a local Blockchain development team. By hiring developers in-house, your business gains more control over the development process, however, it requires significant investments.

If the cost of hiring locally doesn’t pose a problem for you, you can post a vacancy on one of the platforms for employers, for example, Indeed, Jooble, LinkedIn, etc. Though they may not be tailored to Blockchain development, they are popular among job seekers. To make sure relevant candidates find you, optimize the job posting with specific keywords, for example, "Blockchain programmer" or "Blockchain dev." A well-written job posting will help you find and hire Blockchain developers faster. When creating the job post, you may want to include the following:

Describe your company, project, and your goals;
Outline the tasks your Blockchain developer should solve;
List skills you need your applicants to possess;
State must-have years of experience;
Describe the main responsibilities of your Blockchain developer.

When you have a pool of candidates, prepare to interview them. The interview questions should cover the Blockchain developers' skills as well as their cultural fit. Some examples of questions may include the following:

How many years of commercial experience do you have with Blockchain?
What are the main challenges of Blockchain development?
Do you have experience in Blockchain app development?
Are you familiar with cryptography in Blockchain?
What programming languages for Blockchain do you work with?
What project management tools do you use in your work?

Interviewing potential Blockchain developers can be a time-consuming process. Fortunately, there's a leeway – you can hire a firm that can provide pre-vetted experts in Blockchain development.

A blockchain development company

If you type up "hire a Blockchain developer" in your browser, chances are you will be inundated with plenty of options. So, how to select the best Blockchain development company? You can go over such firm aggregators as Clutch.co or GoodFirms to find a suitable provider. For instance, a simple request "hire Blockchain consultants" will give you 129 organizations to choose from. You need to take your time and review them in detail, including portfolios, past clients, domain expertise, and more. The biggest upside of choosing a Blockchain development company on such platforms is that you have access to verified testimonials.

There are some potential downsides to working with Blockchain development companies. First, they tend to charge top dollar as compared to other options. Also, you won't have access to the Blockchain development team in the course of the development of your solution and may not even speak with Blockchain developers who work on your project. We at HireTop offer a different approach when it comes to hiring Blockchain developers.

Build your Blockchain development team with HireTop

HireTop helps you hire Blockchain developers from Eastern Europe, the most skilled tech hub in the world recognized by lots of global companies.

Not only do we ensure you find the best talent but also fit your budget, as we always prioritize your company's needs. With us, you will build and work with a Blockchain development team personally. Thanks to our full dedication approach, the Blockchain developers we provide will work only for you as if they were part of your local team.

As your provider of a remote Blockchain development team, we ensure you make the most of this approach. Here’s what we offer:

Strong Blockchain developers who have passed our internal tests;
In-depth expertise in Blockchain verified by our tech leaders;
Solid English proficiency;
Secure cooperation thanks to NDA and IP protection agreements.

If you're looking to hire a Blockchain developer through a dedicated approach, feel free to contact us.