5 Keys to Effective Cannabis Recruitment:

How To Hire Within This Very Unique Industry

The Regulated Cannabis Industry has grown to $6.6 billion annually and is projected to reach $22 billion by 2021. If you are one of the many planning to – or currently need to – increase your team with the right talent, then learning how to add the right employees, the right way, is critical to your company’s success.

Even the most established businesses struggle to successfully recruit their ideal employees for a variety of reasons including:

• Finding the perfect combination of skills, experience, talent, expertise, demeanor and cultural fit
• Convincing the candidates you want to join your industry, choose your company, and accept your offer
• Not having the significant time and resources necessary to dedicate to effective recruiting process

To help you acquire the exact talent you need with ease, it’s a smart idea to engage a professional recruiter who specializes in this unique industry or, at minimum, adopt some of the following strategies professional recruiters use:

1. Times Have Changed – So Have Career Sites.

The traditional job boards/resume databases are not where you will find a top “A-level” candidate. Plus, as electronic recruitment continues to evolve, job boards like Monster and Career Builder have seen a steady decline. Job seekers today, especially those in the Cannabis space, use a variety of different platforms to perform their search from using Social Media to search aggregators such as Indeed and Simply Hired.

2. Leverage Your Social Media Presence.

Utilize your existing social media marketing efforts for recruiting content. Efforts should be focused on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter etc. Where job searches are concerned, the active Cannabis job seekers live on LinkedIn, while the more passive job seekers are on Facebook.

For Example: You’re a florist. You spend your time promoting your company on Facebook trying to build a large fan base. Use your Facebook network to publish your job opportunities. Reach out to the people who already like and follow your company, and tell them you’re hiring.

Your followers will like to hear about your growth and success, and will pass it along. “Hey, my friend is looking for a position, and that job would be perfect for him… I’ll tell him!” While only a few people may respond, you only need a few. If you say you’re hiring, your followers will spread the word. After all, they already like you, and they love to help their friends.

3. Simplify the Application Process.

Simply put, make it easy for candidates to apply to your positions. The Cannabis Industry is growing at a record pace. The need for top-tier talent is approaching unprecedented demand. You will benefit if you can make it easy for them to apply. Companies often make the barrier to entry too high and the reward too low by requiring applicants to fill out page after page of information before they can even submit a resume. The candidates you most want to attract are “passive” candidates who most likely fully employed, highly skilled, and/or have many career options, but are short on time.

Setting the barrier to entry too high creates a negative selection bias. Instead, facilitate an actual conversation to start the evaluation process. And, don’t create a system that only saves you time – create a system that motivates candidates to want to engage with you.

4. Stay Connected.

Follow up with candidates and stay in touch. Job seekers hate when they apply for a job and never hear back, and they’re not shy about sharing their feelings with others. The Cannabis Industry is well connected, so create a system that lets you stay engaged with the people who have expressed interest in your company. Treating job seekers with respect will go a long way and will definitely pay off. Just because they might not be the right fit today, they could be tomorrow.

5. Sell. Sell. Sell.

The best talent needs to be sold. Great Cannabis companies land top-tier employees because they work hard to differentiate themselves from a cluttered landscape and sell great career opportunities. What makes your company unique? Your culture, benefits, perks, attitude, opportunity? The best candidates are those who choose to dedicate themselves to you for reasons other than their paycheck.

KDS Strategic Search – Experienced Leadership in Regulated Cannabis Industry Recruitment

KDS has taken a lead role with the Cannabis Industry’s leading pioneers, providing the critical mid-to-senior level talent they need  – from both within and outside the industry – to build, scale, and successfully mainstream their organizations.

Our recent Cannabis Industry placements include:

• Chief Operating Officer
• VP, Retail Operations
• Director of IT
• Director of Processing
• Director of Marketing
• Director of Dispensary Operations
• Director, Quality Assurance & Control
• Director of Finance
• Director of Education & Outreach
• Purchasing Manager
• Laboratory Manager
• Operations Director
• Regional General Manager

KDS has taken a lead role with the Cannabis Industry’s leading pioneers, providing the critical mid-to-senior level talent they need – from both within and outside the industry – to build, scale, and successfully mainstream their organizations.

And our exclusive 5 Year Candidate Replacement Program provides the long term assurance and commitment to success our clients need.

Contact Us to learn more or to discuss how we can help you meet and exceed your unique hiring challenges.