This prep guide will guide you through the steps of our hiring process. Our process is designed to be clear, efficient, and mutually exploratory. All interviews are conducted via Zoom to ensure flexibility and speed, while still giving you the opportunity to meet the key stakeholders you’ll work with at Chainlink Labs. While this candidate experience is tailored to your role, please note that the process may be subject to change. We will contact you with any updates to notify you of any changes when and if they apply! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to anyone on our team, we’re here to help!
Interview steps
Screening Interview
You’ll begin with a conversation with our Head of Executive Talent Acquisition. This is an opportunity to walk through your background, discuss the scope of the role, and review how our operating principles shape the way we build and scale.
Hiring Manager Interview
Next, you’ll meet the hiring manager. This is a deeper conversation focused on your career trajectory, leadership philosophy, and skills. It’s also a chance to explore mutual fit and alignment with the team’s goals.
Team Interviews
Team interviews consist of 30-minute interviews. Generally, the interviews are in quick succession. These interviews are a way for the team to get to know more about your industry knowledge, background, and various projects you have worked on, and seek to determine your suitability for the role.
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- Stakeholder Interviews (45 minutes each): This interview is a way for the team to get to know more about your industry/web3 knowledge, background, various projects you have worked on, and seek to determine your suitability for the role.
- Advisor Interview (45 minutes): You’ll meet one of our trusted advisors who has experience scaling high-performing organizations. Expect a conversation on leadership style, team-building, and broader organizational dynamics.
- Web3 Bar Raiser (45 minutes): This interview explores your fluency in the Web3 ecosystem—core concepts, current trends, and your hands-on experience. It’s less about the role itself, and more about ensuring you can thrive in a Web3-native context.
Take Home Exercise + Presentation
We’ll ask you to complete a scoped take-home project (typically 4–6 hours, with flexibility based on your availability). With that said, the expected completion time is detailed in the brief we send you. We kindly ask that the project be completed within 7 days of receiving the project brief. Having you complete a take-home exercise is an effective way for us to mutually evaluate the experience of working together. Once complete, you’ll present your work in a 45-minute presentation with the team.
Alignment Interview
The Alignment Interview is a 90-minute non-technical chat with a senior member from a different team to get a wider perspective on what it would mean for us to work together. It will be a conversation, not simply a Q&A. The purpose is to get your perspective on a variety of topics that are important to our CEO and our company as a whole. You will have a chance to talk about the company and ask any questions you have about our operating principles or working with us.
Final Call with Sergey
During this interview, you can expect to do a deep dive into your skills and experience as they are trying to gauge a mutual fit within the company.
Closing Process
At this stage, you will be asked to submit your references, complete a background check, and attend a check-in call with the recruiter you've been working with during the interview process.
General tips for success
Listen carefully
It is perfectly fine to rephrase questions for better understanding or to request clarification. Also, if you need a moment to gather your thoughts, don't hesitate to let the interviewer know.
Be direct
Ensure your responses address the question directly. Avoid using pre-prepared examples that do not relate to the question being asked.
Focus on the process, not just the answer
The interviewer is interested in your problem-solving approach. Don't stress about finding the perfect answer. Be prepared for follow-up questions.
Communicate clearly
Explain your thought process out loud during the interview. This helps the interviewer understand your approach and reasoning.
Be ready
Remember, interviewing is a two-way street. Come prepared with thoughtful questions (e.g., team priorities, culture, etc.). We want you to feel comfortable and understand how the role aligns with your career goals.
Learn about us
We highly encourage you to visit our resources page to deepen your understanding of our organization. Familiarizing yourself with our mission, products, and recent initiatives can help you feel more confident and prepared for each step in the interview process.
Why join us?
Our mission
Build decentralized systems that link everything to the truth, creating a fair, unbiased world.
Why join us?
Joining the Chainlink Labs team means you will be working directly alongside an A-team of industry experts and will have a high degree of real responsibility in cultivating the growth of Chainlink. We’re pioneers shaping the future of blockchain, positioned at the forefront of a massive technological shift. Here, boldness isn’t optional—it’s essential.
Key Principles alignment
We are proud of our collaborative culture. Be prepared to discuss how you align with our Key Principles:
Ownership
We apply high standards in our work and take complete, unconditional responsibility for all outcomes. We always go the extra mile when helping one another, our users, and our community and working toward achieving our objectives.
Focus
Prioritizing outcomes and avoiding the many distractions in our industry enables us to pay full attention to our objectives and achieve more in less time without wasting energy.
Dialogue
Chainlink Labs is an idea meritocracy. We seek to arrive at the truth about every situation through open, honest, and constructive dialogue. We avoid personal biases and ego and seek to overcome the fear of engaging in productive conflict to arrive at truth.