What Hiring Managers Look for First in Blockchain Job Applications (UK Guide)

The first filter: are you clearly relevant to the blockchain role?

Blockchain hiring managers are busy, and the space moves fast. The first thing they want to know is: does this application reflect direct relevance to the specific role and domain?

What they scan for immediately

• Role title alignment: Your recent job titles or prominent professional headline should mesh with the job you’re targeting. “Software Engineer” is fine—but for a smart contract role, add specificity like "Blockchain / Smart Contract Developer".

• Core technologies: Key technologies from the advert should be visible right away. That might include Solidity, Rust, Ethereum, Web3.js/Ethers.js, Substrate, off-chain infrastructure (The Graph), Layer 2s, consensus algorithms, zk-tools, wallet integrations, etc.

• Domain fit: Protocol teams value different experience than DeFi or NFT platforms. Regulatory or compliance blockchain roles care more about governance and AML/KYC familiarity. Make your context obvious.

• Seniority signals: Years are one thing, but scope and ownership matter more. Hiring managers look for phrases like designed, launched, secured, optimised, audited, led.

Hiring managers are asking themselves:

“Could this person meaningfully contribute from day one, with minimal training?”

How to fix this quickly:Add a short Blockchain Profile at the top of your CV with targeted keywords and succinct signals of relevance.

Example:

Blockchain Developer with 4+ years building and deploying smart contracts in Solidity and Rust, integrating with Web3 frontends and backends, and contributing to secure DeFi protocols. Experienced with Ethereum, EVM chains, Substrate, testing frameworks and decentralized infrastructure.

They prioritise evidence of real outcomes, not buzzwords

Blockchain applications are filled with claims like “Web3 expert” or “built DApps.” Hiring managers care about what you actually delivered and why it mattered.

What hiring managers want to see

• Impact: Did your work do something useful—secure funds, serve users, reduce gas costs?

• Scale: How many users? How big was the contract?

• Security & correctness: Did you write tests? Have audits?

• Ownership: Did you build end-to-end, or just contribute part?

Writing bullet points that get noticed

Weak:

Built smart contracts for a DeFi project.

Strong:

Designed and deployed audited Solidity contracts for a lending protocol, reducing gas costs by 18% and supporting ~£2.1M in TVL across three chains. Integrated robust test suite (Hardhat/Foundry) and CI/CD pipeline.

Weak:

Worked with blockchain stacks.

Strong:

Built full stack Web3 app with Ethers.js, Next.js and Alchemy, enabling secure wallet login and token interactions; integrated unit and integration tests via Foundry and Playwright.

If your role is more research or protocol focused, replace business metrics with technical ones:

• improved consensus performance

• reduced latency or memory usage

• formal verification outcomes

• reduced exploit surface

• improved throughput

They scan for credible technical depth quickly

Inflated claims are one of the fastest ways to get screened out. Blockchain is complex and hiring managers spot bluster early.

Signals of credible technical experience

• Clear mention of tools AND how you used them: Not just “Solidity”, but which frameworks (Hardhat, Truffle, Foundry), which chains, deployment patterns.

• Testing culture: Unit tests, fuzzing, property-based tests, CI/CD.

• Security awareness: Static analysis tools, linters, slither, mythril, echidna, formal methods.

• Performance awareness: Gas optimisation techniques; memory/stack management.

• Interoperability & integration: How your work connected to wallets, oracles, bridges, subgraphs, indexers.

Phrases like “built a DApp” without specifics are less convincing than:

• “Implemented ERC-721 contract with upgradeable proxy patterns and thorough test coverage.”

• “Collaborated with auditor to remediate 15 issues pre-deployment.”

Hiring managers prefer specificity and ownership over generic tool lists.

They look for production and deployment awareness—even for early roles

In blockchain, “production” means secure, audited, tested, monitored, gas-efficient and correctly deployed on live networks or testnets.

Quick deployment signals

• Use of testnets (Goerli, Sepolia, Polygon Mumbai)

• Deployment frameworks (Hardhat, Foundry)

• CI/CD pipelines for smart contract deployment

• Gas reporting and optimization

• Monitoring tools for live contracts

• Version control practices

You don’t have to be a DevOps wizard, but you do need to show you understand how code moves from local dev to network.

Examples you can include:

• “Deployed and verified contracts on Sepolia and Polygon, with automated CI/CD via GitHub Actions.”

• “Implemented comprehensive test suite ensuring full coverage and best-practice contract security.”

They check your communication and clarity

Blockchain teams often work remotely, cross-functionally and with non-technical stakeholders (product, compliance, marketing).

How they assess communication

• Is your CV concise and clear?

• Do your bullets tell why, not just what?

• Do you explain decisions?

• Can you articulate trade-offs in code or design?

A well-written cover letter or LinkedIn message can help—if it connects you to the company’s product and challenges, not just to blockchain in general.

They look for ‘toolchain fit’ with their stack

Different blockchain teams use different stacks, and hiring managers know this.

Common UK / global blockchain stacks

• Smart contract dev: Solidity, Hardhat, Foundry, Ethers.js, OpenZeppelin

• Layer 2 / scaling: Optimism, Arbitrum, zk-tools (zkSync, zkEVM)

• Rust ecosystems: Solana, Near, Substrate/Polkadot

• Web3 full stack: Next.js, React, GraphQL, The Graph, Alchemy/Infura/QuikNode

• Security & audits: Slither, MythX, Echidna, Certora, Manticore

• Infrastructure: Node operators, validators, networking, consensus

If the advert lists a specific tool you don’t have experience with, don’t panic. Hiring managers care about:

• real adjacent experience

• ability to learn quickly

• exposure to similar concepts

For example:

“Have deployed Rust services and am actively building in Solana/Anchor.”

This is stronger than a generic list.

They look for responsible design & security awareness

Security in blockchain is non-negotiable. Unlike many tech stacks, exploitation costs real value.

Responsible blockchain signals that help

• Test coverage and security tests

• Use of audit tools

• Formal verification awareness

• Thoughtful error handling

• Gas efficiency considerations

• Clear documentation

Simple ways to show this:

• “Integrated Slither and MythX in CI to catch vulnerabilities pre-merge.”

• “Designed contract patterns to prevent re-entrancy and unchecked external calls.”

• “Documented known limitations & failure modes for reviewer visibility.”

This tells a hiring manager you care about safety and correctness.

They assess career story and motivation

Hiring managers in blockchain want to know why you’re here, not just that you have some skills.

What strong career logic looks like

• Clear direction: how your past work connects to blockchain outcomes

• Evidence of commitment: recent builds, real network deployments

• No contradictions: your claims should align with what they will test you on

Career transitions are absolutely possible—if you show a credible bridge:

• from backend development to smart contract engineering

• from security to blockchain security

• from data engineering to chain data and indexers

Make the transferable experience obvious.

They look for signal density on your CV

Hiring managers often scan many applications quickly.

High-signal CV traits

• 1–2 pages tailored to role

• Clean formatting

• Quantified impact where relevant

• Tools listed in context, not a cloud

• Portfolio links to repositories and deployed components

Low-signal traits that get skipped

• Long paragraphs with little evidence

• Buzzwords without substance

• Skills lists with 50+ tools and no context

• Projects with no link or outcomes

• No tailoring to the specific role

They look for collaboration and teamwork experience

Blockchain isn’t just individual code; it’s community, governance and integration.

Collaboration signals that matter

• Worked with product folks to define contract requirements

• Supported integrations with frontends/backends

• Partnered with auditors or security teams

• Communicated with stakeholders about trade-offs

Even in small teams, hiring managers want someone who communicates well and plays nice with others.

They look for learning velocity

Blockchain moves fast. Hiring managers want people who are committed to ongoing learning.

Signals of learning velocity

• Recent projects using modern tooling

• Blog posts explaining what you built

• Contributions to open source

• Clear reflections on lessons learned

• Continuous improvement in testing/security/domain knowledge

Two or three strong learning signals beat a long random list.

Red flags that get blockchain applications rejected

Strong candidates get screened out for simple reasons.

Common red flags

• Claiming deep expertise with no evidence

• “Built a blockchain” but no code or explanation

• Generic buzzwords with no context

• No links to code or demos

• No test, security or deployment signals

• Poor grammar or sloppy structure

• Application isn’t tailored to the role

Blockchain hiring managers prefer smaller, solid claims they can verify quickly, over vague grandiosity.

How to structure your blockchain application

1) Header & role-aligned headline

Include:

• Name

• Location

• Contact info

• LinkedIn

• Portfolio/GitHub

• A targeted headline like “Blockchain Engineer” / “Smart Contract Developer” / “Web3 Backend Engineer”

2) Blockchain Profile (4–6 lines)

Summarise:

• Your niche and role focus

• Key tools and environments

• Measured outcomes or scale

3) Skills (only what you can defend)

Group them:

• Smart contract languages (Solidity, Rust)

• Tooling (Hardhat, Foundry, Ethers.js)

• Frontend/Web3 integration

• Testing

• Security & auditing

• Infrastructure

4) Experience with impact bullets

Each role:

• what you did

• how you built it

• why it mattered

5) Projects (especially for juniors/careers changes)

Include 2–3:

• one flagship

• one that mirrors the role advert

• one showing production-aware thinking

Include links to:

• repos

• test results

• deployments or verifications on testnets/mainnets

6) Education & certifications

Only relevant ones.

What hiring managers are really hiring for

At its core, blockchain hiring is about trust.

They want to know:

• Can this candidate deliver secure, reliable software or infrastructure?

• Can they explain trade-offs and risks?

• Do they write testable, maintainable code?

• Can they work well with others?

• Do they mirror the product and team’s stack and priorities?

If your application makes those points obvious fast, you will stand out.

Quick checklist before you apply

• Does your header reflect the target role?

• Is the first section tailored and keyword-rich?

• Do your bullets show outcomes and responsibility?

• Do you show realistic deployment and security awareness?

• Have you included links to demos or code?

• Have you removed anything you can’t explain in interview?

• Does your CV read cleanly and confidently?

Final thought

Blockchain hiring managers are not chasing hype. They want relevant experience, evidence, careful execution and clear communication.

If your application answers the core questions hiring managers have—can you deliver value safely and reliably?—you improve your chances of being shortlisted.

Explore the latest roles across smart contracts, Web3 infrastructure, security, backend dev and product in blockchain on Blockchain Jobs UK and set up alerts for roles that match your skills and experience:www.blockchainjobs.uk