With the cannabis industry booming and so many businesses finding success in the marketplace, more and more cannabis companies are looking to grow and expand their workforce. But with all of the different applicants out there, how can you tell who will be a good fit for the job?

In this article, we will go over what to look for in an applicant and some warning signs to look out for when hiring in the cannabis industry.

What to look for in an employee in the cannabis industry

It can sometimes be difficult to tell whether or not a certain applicant is really a great fit or not, but there are certainly some traits to look out for which can indicate that a potential employee has what it takes to be a successful, productive member of your team. Let’s go over some of the key indicators that an applicant may be a great fit for your cannabis business.

1. Maturity

2. Sales Experience

3. Product Knowledge

4. Professionalism

5. Availability

It’s important to remember that most people who smoke, vape, or otherwise consume cannabis are doing so to get one medical benefit or another, and it is very rarely about just getting high. It’s important to make sure that you hire people who are looking to provide quality service to your clientele, rather than those who just want to say they sell weed because they think it makes them sound cool. Try to hire employees who are a bit older and more mature if possible.  

Another key thing to look for is previous sales experience.

Sales is a tough job, which is just as true when working in the cannabis industry. The job demands a lot of customer interaction, so having experience handling customers is an invaluable asset that is hard to teach but necessary to have. Try to hire people who have some experience dealing with customers and working in a sales environment.

There are all sorts of products in the cannabis space, from dried-flower to pre-rolls, vape cartridges, concentrates, and edibles; there is a lot to learn about the different products available. By hiring somebody who is familiar with what these different products are, as well as the differences between these sorts of products, you will be able to save yourself a lot of time and money on training. Of course, you will still need to provide training, but somebody who already knows what's going on will surely be more of an asset than someone who has no idea.

Being professional is an essential skill in any business environment, but perhaps even more so in an industry such as cannabis which is already misunderstood and stigmatized by some people who don't know much about the industry; for this reason, it's crucial that you hire staff who look, act, and generally conduct themselves in a professional manner so that your business will always make the right impression on your customers and those in your neighborhood.

As with any job, availability is an important factor that needs to be considered before you make a hiring decision. Is this person available to work the shifts you need them to? Students probably aren’t going to be an ideal choice as they have limited availability and likely haven’t yet cultivated many of the other qualities above. Try to find a mature, available, professional adult to fill the role, ideally one with some sales experience.

Warning signs to look out for in a candidate

There are also a number of red flags that you should look out for when interviewing applicants that can alert you to the fact that this individual may not be a great fit for your cannabis business. Let’s take a look at those now so that you can avoid making a potentially costly hiring mistake.

1. Immaturity

2. No Job Experience

3. They Ask About Discounts

It's important that you identify people who are immature and only want a job in the cannabis industry because they think it's cool.

These sorts of people will be unlikely to make a good impression on you, your business, and most importantly, your customers. Instead, look for mature candidates who treat the job like a normal career and conduct themselves professionally.

It should go without saying that if you want to hire a quality employee, then you need to ensure that they have some familiarity with being in the workforce in general. If somebody has never worked before, then you will need to spend a lot of time and money teaching them things above and beyond the tasks related to the cannabis industry.

It may not be necessary to have cannabis industry experience but try to ensure that they have at least had some relevant position previously.

If a candidate mentions buying cannabis, getting deals or discounts, or otherwise indicates that they are heavy cannabis consumers, then that should be a red flag.

Ideally, you want to hire people who are passionate about serving the community, not people who just want to get high. Sure, it's fine to hire people who smoke cannabis; just make sure that's not all they do and that they actually take the job seriously.

Summary

Building a successful team of employees for your cannabis business is a fun and exciting aspect of the industry. With no shortage of applicants, it can be tough to intuit who will be a good fit for the role, but by looking out for the traits outlined above, you will be able to assemble the very best team and avoid making many hiring mistakes.