WHETHER YOU’RE LOOKING for your first cannabis job or have been in the industry for some time, it’s important to prepare as best you can. You want to find the best opportunities available and if you are called in to interview, to connect with your interviewer and make them feel confident that you are the person for the role.
To level up your job search, we’ve put together these 8 Tips for Cannabis Job Seekers:
1. MARKET YOUR TRANSFERABLE SKILLS. While cannabis companies are certainly on the hunt for employees who have previous cannabis experience, the reality is that there are not enough people with cannabis experience yet to meet that demand. More than half of the industry’s employees are coming from outside the industry. This means that transferable skills are key.
Understand your skill set and be prepared to explain how your specific skills are relevant and applicable to the position for which you’re applying. For example, military veterans often have logistics and leadership skills that are highly transferable. Experience in a start-up environment can be a great selling point to pitch to an interviewer.
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2. KNOW YOURSELF. What do you want to do? Consider your short-term and long-term career goals and which types of roles will get you there. Ask yourself:
- Where do you see yourself succeeding?
- What do you see yourself doing every day?
- What companies are you drawn to?
- Who do you find yourself talking to the most?
Are you a people person? Do you like helping people with new information? Maybe you would be great in sales, marketing or management. Do you like to stay behind the scenes? Maybe you’d excel in cultivation or production.
3. EDUCATE YOURSELF ON THE INDUSTRY. Get invested in cannabis by keeping your finger on the pulse of the industry. Companies aren’t going to tell you everything you need to know about the work you seek. It’s your job to find out.
4. HAVE PASSION AND HUMILITY. Not everyone who works in cannabis needs to be a consumer, but you do need to have a passion for the plant. What is your personal connection to the plant? What is your “why” for wanting to be in the cannabis industry?
5. NETWORK AND CONNECT. A strong network is your secret weapon for working in the cannabis industry, which is one big (yet somehow small) community of like-minded folks. In the United States, each individual legal state market has its own subculture. Connect with people both in-person and on LinkedIn and other social networks—which can help you find events to attend.
When you meet industry folks, show an interest in what they do. Learning about other people’s workplaces, skills and duties will help inform you about what you want to do. Plus—here’s a secret—people love talking about themselves, so keep the focus on them and show your genuine interest in learning about them.
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Keep growing your network and you’ll get where you want to go. Cannabis industry members want to help connect good humans so we can grow our industry
with conscious people.
6. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED AND BE FLEXIBLE. The cannabis industry is experiencing hypergrowth which affects every aspect of the business. Since the laws governing cannabis businesses are constantly changing, businesses are constantly adapting. Often when a law changes, it has a domino effect and has the potential to change the way a company operates completely.
Keep this in mind when reading your job description. The job you sign up for could change as the company adapts to the industry.