Top In-Demand Skill Sets For Cannabis Jobs
In this ever-expanding cannabis industry, there are always new opportunities for those open to work. Employers value candidates who exhibit a combination of passion for the industry, requisite skills, and adaptability.
By doing your research, tailoring your skill set, and gaining relevant qualifications you can increase your chances of standing out to prospective hiring managers.
Here are the top in-demand skill sets for cannabis jobs
Industry Knowledge
Whether you work as a budtender, cultivator, or graphic designer, you will need to have a basic understanding of the different cannabis products and their effects. Try to take a trip to your local dispensary and familiarize yourself with what’s available in your area. The cannabis industry is still emerging across the nation (and the world) you should have a pulse on the latest industry trends, research, and innovations.
Cultivation & Agricultural Skills
According to Flower Hire’s Industry predictions for 2023 cultivation will produce the majority of new cannabis jobs. Experience in plant cultivation, care, and harvesting is great for roles like growing, trimming, and processing. having an understanding of optimal growth conditions and plant health is ideal even if you don’t physically touch the plant. There are tons of ancillary companies that offer products to support different stages of the growth cycle.
Customer Service
Hiring managers, especially in customer facing roles like budtending or sales, are looking for individuals that can educate customers on products effectively and handle customer complaints gracefully. This is a very relationship-driven industry. Strong interpersonal and communication skills go a long way. Make sure you highlight any situations you have handled in the past that might relate to the role you’re applying for.
Retail Management
More states are opening up legalized markets which means the amount of retail stores continues to grow. Dispensaries are always looking for strong leaders with retail management experience. Sometimes it can even be preferred, especially if you’ve had previous success executing creative store concepts, managing high-performing sales teams, or brand partnerships.
Sales & Marketing
Each state has unique laws and regulations that limit the marketing and advertising options available for cannabis. Hiring managers like to see previous experience with sales and marketing strategies tailored to the cannabis industry. You should have an understanding of branding and product positioning in the market you’re applying for. Prepared with some creative ideas of how you can help their brand get their story out and drive sales.
Analytical Skills
Many mid-higher-level roles require the ability to analyze market trends and consumer behavior. From accounting to operations be sure to include your level of proficiency in data analysis and interpretation. Cannabis has strict banking laws and some multi-state operators require more complex accounting perspectives. Being adaptable and able to strategize quickly under pressure is highly valuable.
Compliance and Regulatory Experience
Since cannabis is such a highly regulated industry knowledge of federal, state, and local cannabis laws and regulations is crucial. If you don’t know the regulations where you live or where you want to work, you need to learn them. Hiring managers love to see experience in compliance, management, legal and reporting systems like METRC or Biotrack. These skills can usually be transferred over from other industries into cannabis fairly easily.