The Complete Guide to Hiring Blockchain Developers

Hiring a blockchain developer is an uphill task for two reasons - there are few programmers, and you have to hire based on your business needs.

Unlike other technologies, blockchain is new and complex, making it a valuable skill that is tough to learn. Aside from that, many software development companies are looking for blockchain developers to hire.

If you are on the hunt, where do you start? You must be creative and apply due diligence to get the best blockchain programmers.

This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to hire a blockchain developer that fits your business needs.

Key Points

A blockchain developer is a software engineer specialising in building applications based on blockchain technology.
Some of a blockchain programmer's responsibilities are to design the system architecture, develop the front and back end of an application, test the system and fix errors, implement security measures, etc.
To find and hire blockchain developers, you must define your business needs, list all the skills you need, and plan your hiring strategy before you interview the devs and sign contracts.
Planning your hiring strategy means choosing one of the various hiring models to find the right blockchain developers. You can hire devs who will work from your office or outsource your blockchain project to a nearshore development company.
When hiring a blockchain developer, ensure the dev is skilled in technologies like Java, Python, C#, C++, Solidity, Ruby, JavaScript, etc.

What Is a Blockchain Developer?

Blockchain developers are programmers or software engineers specialising in creating applications based on blockchain technology. A blockchain is a decentralised ledger that records transactions in a way that makes it impossible to alter the data.

Blockchain engineers are in charge of designing and developing the system's architecture and are responsible for the security of applications built on it. They create the foundation for other programmers to build decentralised applications and web apps on the system.

Some of the responsibilities of a blockchain developer are

Designing the blockchain system architecture,
Developing and monitoring smart contracts,
Test the blockchain system and fix errors.
Research, design, and develop various blockchain applications,
Collaborate with various stakeholders and technical partners to develop the blockchain application,
Implement security measures against cybercrime.

How to Find and Hire the Right Blockchain Developer

To find and engage the best blockchain programmers, you have to

Define your business blockchain needs
List the skills you need
Plan your hiring strategy
Shortlist and interview
Sign a contract

Now let's go through each step one after the other.

Define Your Business's Blockchain Needs

Regarding blockchain development, not all businesses have the same needs. While some organisations may need private blockchains, others may need public blockchains.

To find out what kind of blockchain your business needs, you must identify your use goals. Do you want to create a new crypto? Are you planning to use blockchain technology to facilitate the supply chain?

Knowing your goals, you can determine which kind of blockchain is best for your business. You can consult a blockchain developer or a development company if you don't know where to start.

Public blockchains don't require permits and allow anyone to join. Aside from that, they are fully decentralised and grant all nodes equal rights to access the blockchains. New users can create new data blocks and validate them because of their decentralised nature.

Private blockchains need permission and are controlled by a single business or organisation that determines who can be a node. To build your private blockchain technology, you must look for a core blockchain developer.

This professional is an expert in developing and maintaining the architecture of blockchain systems.

They can do all of these tasks

Design blockchain protocols, network architecture, and security patterns
Manage and supervise the entire blockchain of your organisation
Know programming languages suitable for blockchain, like Java, C++, GO, or Rust
Create crypto technologies and deploy blockchain applications.

You need a blockchain software developer if you decide to build your application on a public blockchain.

An expert blockchain software developer can

Develop blockchain technologies for smart contracts and web applications
Code the front end of a web app to build an interactive dapp design
Develop the back-end for managing the blockchain

Aside from core and blockchain software engineers, there is the full-stack developer. Full-stack blockchain programmers have core and application development knowledge and experience, making them well-suited to build end-to-end solutions for businesses.

So, which type of blockchain developer do you need? The answer depends on your project requirements, which is why you must define your business blockchain needs.

Define the Skills You Need

To successfully build a blockchain for your business, you must hire someone with the right skills. The blockchain developer must demonstrate competence in some or all these skills.

Blockchain architecture. The engineer must know how the technology is built and works to design and develop a blockchain network. Also, the blockchain engineer must demonstrate expertise in concepts like distributed ledger technology, consensus, and cryptographic hash functions.
Cryptography. Knowledge of cryptography is necessary when hiring a blockchain developer. The programmer should be skilled in using public-key cryptography to prevent unauthorised access to data and have a strong foundation in cryptographic concepts like keys, wallets, and digital signatures.
Smart contracts. Another skill of a blockchain programmer is knowledge of smart contracts. Smart contracts enable two crypto users to trade or exchange assets without an arbitrator. Since it has become a staple of blockchain implementation, developers must know what they are and how they enforce business logic.
Data structures. Blockchain programmers will work with data structures and must know how the network uses them. In the blockchain network, each layer or block is a structure that facilitates transactions for the public ledger. Programmers must be familiar with data structures like heaps, hash trees, graphs, Merkel trees, and Patricia trees.
Coding languages. Blockchain engineers must use different programming languages to build the network. While it is not necessary for the blockchain developer you want to hire to know all of them, they must be proficient in some. Coding languages for blockchain development are Java, Python, JavaScript, C++, etc. The software engineer must also be familiar with languages used for smart contracts like Vyper, Solidity, and Chaincode.
Web development. The developer is responsible for making the web app that serves as the user interface for your business. Competence in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, along with front and back-end frameworks, is a must when hiring a blockchain developer.
Distributed system. To develop your application, a blockchain developer must understand how peer-to-peer networks and distributed systems work.

Plan the Hiring Strategy

When hiring blockchain programmers, there are various options to explore. Whilst most businesses will prefer hiring in-house blockchain devs, outsourcing their projects is the best option for some. Let's compare the various hiring strategy you can employ to get the best blockchain engineers.

Hiring In-house Developers

Hire in-house devs to build your blockchain if

You are forming a new team of developers or need new programmers to diversify your in-house team.
You are planning a recurring project and want to hire devs for a long time.
You don't mind paying extra for the workplace or taxes or buying the resources needed to build your project.
You have time to onboard the programmers and familiarise them with your products.

Employing in-house developers is the perfect option for some organisations; others don't find it appealing because it is not cost-effective and is not ideal for building a team fast. Also, if you have skill shortages in your location, hiring programmers for blockchain development (which is a rare skill) will be difficult.

Outsourcing Your Project

Another hiring strategy to employ the best blockchain developers is outsourcing your project to a nearshore development company.

You can outsource your project if

You are forming a new dev team or want to expand your development team.
You have a short project.
You want to be able to scale your team any time you like.

Most businesses see outsourcing development projects as a means to cut employment costs; the benefits include quickly forming a team of talented devs. Also, businesses can hire blockchain programmers anytime and anyhow they like. There are three kinds of IT outsourcing - onshore, offshore, and nearshore development.

Onshore Development

In onshore development, a business hires software developers who work remotely from the same country. For example, a USA-based business that wants to develop blockchain will hire programmers from within.

Onshore outsourcing guarantees that the programmers understand your business language and can communicate with you in real-time since you are in the same time zone.

Offshore Development

In offshore outsourcing, a business will hire programmers remotely to build its blockchain from a country that is far away. Offshore developers usually charge more cheaply than onshore, cutting costs for businesses that want to save money.

The setback of offshoring is that the programmers may not understand your business language and that you are in different time zones. These setbacks will make collaboration between you and the programmers difficult.

Nearshore Development

In nearshore development, a business will hire a programmer from a nearby country. Nearshoring gives businesses access to expert blockchain developers who understand the language and can collaborate in real-time since they are in the same time zone.

Also, hiring from a nearshore development company like Deazy makes it easy for you to expand your dev team anytime and anyhow you want. Aside from that, a project manager will be assigned to manage your project and ensure that the programmers deliver the best results.

Shortlist and Interview the Developer

To hire the best blockchain developers, you have to shortlist them by evaluating their skills and experience before interviewing them. Most blockchain development projects require senior developers, whilst others don't.

That is why you should aim to shortlist programmers with more than two years of experience building solutions for their clients. How do you do that? You can check the developer's past projects, and if the programmer has built a blockchain similar to what you need, you have a perfect fit.

Aside from that, you can check past projects for reviews. Reviews from past clients will give you an idea of the programmer's skills and work culture. You can interview the shortlisted candidates when you are pleased with their portfolio and experience.

Ensure the interview questions align with your organisation's work culture and project needs. Instead of asking generic questions about blockchain development, you can ask specific questions related to your project.

Common interview questions to ask blockchain programmers are

What challenges do you encounter when using blockchain technology?
Can you tell us about a recent blockchain application you created?
Can you code in Solidity?
Which blockchain programming language are you good at coding?
Can you create a smart contract with blockchain?
What type of record can you store on a blockchain?
Can you name the different types of blockchain networks?
How does blockchain differ from relational databases?
Can you name some common platforms for developing blockchains?
Which algorithm is used in blockchain?
What is the Merkle tree in blockchain?
What is a ledger in blockchain?
What is the difference between public and private keys in blockchain?

The right blockchain programmers must be able to provide answers to all those questions and must be able to code using one or more blockchain programming languages like Rust, Ruby, Java, GO, Python, etc. Also, they must be aware of the trends in the blockchain industry.

Sign Contracts

You can sign a contract to seal the deal when you are sure you have gotten the right blockchain developers. The contract should list all the deliverables and when they will be fulfilled. Also, the contract should include the budget, how long the project will last, and how you will pay the developers.

Conclusion

Finding the right blockchain developers can be difficult because there are few expert programmers, but it is possible if you apply due diligence. Applying due diligence means you should prepare well ahead and define your business blockchain needs.

Aside from that, you must list the programmer's skills and ensure they are what you need to develop a blockchain for your business. Choosing a hiring strategy means selecting the best engagement model that suits your business.

After selecting the most suitable hiring model, you should shortlist and interview the programmers and sign contracts.

Did you know that hiring blockchain developers from a nearshore development company like Deazy makes it easy to build a team of experts quickly? All you should do is tell us your project requirements, and we will match the right programmers to handle your project. Feel free to call us.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where Will I Find Blockchain Experts?

There are different ways to find blockchain experts. You can post job advertisements listing all your project requirements and hire in-house developers. Or, you can outsource your project to a nearshore development company and get expert blockchain developers.

Why Hire a Blockchain Developer?

Hiring a blockchain developer ensures that an expert handles your project since the programmer is a key player in coding and implementing the technology. Software engineers that develop blockchains are responsible for building and managing decentralised applications and creating new platforms. Also, they have a strong knowledge of cryptography, mathematics and computer science.

What Are the Different Blockchain Programming Languages?

Devs must be competent in various blockchain coding languages: C, C++, Ruby, Golang, C#, Python, Java, etc. Aside from that, the programmer must be familiar with languages used for coding smart contracts like Solidity, Chaincode and Vyper.

References

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https://c9staff.com/7-steps-to-hiring-a-blockchain-developer/

https://www.twine.net/blog/how-to-hire-blockchain-developer/

https://hiretop.com/blog/guide-to-hiring-blockchain-developers/

https://www.simplilearn.com/tutorials/blockchain-tutorial/how-to-become-a-blockchain-developer#:~:text=Salary%20and%20Future,is%20%241%2C06%2C973%20per%20year.

https://www.coursera.org/articles/blockchain-developer-salary

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https://www.coursera.org/articles/blockchain-developer

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