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Grayscale, the world's largest digital asset manager, plans to double its staff this year. Here's what it takes to land a job, according to the CEO.

Michael Sonnenshein
Michael Sonnenshein is the CEO of Grayscale Investments. Grayscale Investments

  • Grayscale is the world's largest digital currency asset manager with $20 billion in assets.
  • The company is doubling the number of employees it has this year.
  • Michael Sonneshein, Grayscale's CEO, shared his advice on how to land a job at the firm. 
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Grayscale Investments, the world's largest digital currency asset manager, is planning to double its company headcount again in 2021. 

The company began 2020 with 10 employees and $2 billion in assets under management. It ended the year with 24 full-time staffers and $20 billion in assets, an increase resulting from the surge in cryptocurrency prices, the company told Insider. 

Alongside other crypto venture and investing firms like Galaxy Digital and Polychain Capital, Grayscale has ramped up recruitment efforts as digital currencies have become even more mainstream.

Grayscale is actively recruiting for software engineers, marketing directors, and social media experts.

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Insider recently spoke with Michael Sonnenshein, Grayscale's CEO, who shared that the company tends to hire people with traditional finance backgrounds with over 20 years of experience. But now it's looking to hire for more entry-level roles, he said. 

"Having a diversity of opinions and views would be really helpful when we're making decisions while also moving very quickly," he said.

Here's his advice on what to expect from the application process, and how candidates can impress recruiters. 

Show your passion for cryptocurrency

Regardless of what job you applied for, Grayscale is looking for people who are passionate about cryptocurrency and financial services, Sonnenshein said. 

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"We want to know if you have the confidence to be a part of the journey of seeing a new asset class develop, work alongside it, and join a firm like ours," he said. 

The crypto industry is still in its building out phase. Grayscale is looking for employees who are "intellectually curious" and are driven to understand how digital currencies fit into the bigger ecosystem of trading, he added. 

Ace the case study

One way that recruiters measure your knowledge and fit for a specific role is through case studies, and these tests are actually quite related to the day-to-day responsibilities you might encounter if selected for the job.

For example, an applicant who applied for a product position should expect to answer product-related problems. These expectations are the same for sales, engineering, and digital currency jobs. 

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Sonnenshein shared that candidates often complete case studies in addition to interviews with different members of the team. It's another strategy for your potential teammates to better understand how you approach complex problems, he added. 

Demonstrate that you're a team player

Sonnenshein said Grayscale employees are "a tight-knit group." Hiring managers aren't just looking for people to work with, but they're also looking for people that they'd want to build a business with long term, he said. 

Grayscale has a very collaborate culture. People working at the company share progress with one another. They talk about projects with other teams, and employees are accustomed to lending a helping hand whenever something needs to be done, Sonnenshein said. 

Grayscale values transparency. Managers set clear expectations and employees should expect to receive constructive feedback both in real time and before performance reviews, Sonnenshein said. 

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"Whether you're on the finance team or on the operations team, there's a shared sense of accountability and understanding that the work you do or don't do affects all the other aspects of the business," he said. 

Candidates should expect to answer personal questions. For example, "What are your hobbies and interests?" and "How do you like to spend your time outside of work?" Sonnenshein encourages applicants to be themselves and be open about their unique backgrounds. 

"As a company, we have a mentality of wanting to get the work done and really have an impact on the business, but we do so without leaving anyone behind," he added.

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