Employment
According to current estimates, over 321,000 people currently work full time in the cannabis industry across the United States. That’s almost twice as many people as currently work in mining industries and more than the number of people working in medical and diagnostic labs, according to information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment in the cannabis industry is growing faster than any other industry right now, meaning that if you were ever considering a career in legal weed, now might be a good time to try. Doesn’t matter if you live in Cali or Colorado anymore - if there is a legal cannabis market in your state, there are bound to be jobs. With so many people applying for work in the industry, from the grow room to extraction facilities to sales and marketing, we wanted to lend some advice on how to land the cannabis career of your dreams. To find positions you’re excited about, try checking the career pages on the websites of your favorite brands or look through job boards like Indeed or Vangst.
If you’re just starting out in the industry and aren’t sure what you want to do, there are several good places to start working to get a lay of the land from the inside. Perhaps the most obvious is your local dispensary - just go in and ask if they’re hiring. Working in this retail environment can expose you to every different facet of the industry and introduce you to people from growers to sales reps and marketing managers all the way up to brand owners. Dispensaries are an excellent place to learn more about the industry, different careers you can pursue, and about all the cannabis products in the market. Simply put, budtenders and retail workers are the GOAT in this industry and are some of the most knowledgeable people around.
Maybe you already grow your own weed or know how to make fire hash. Cultivation and extraction are two areas with lots of opportunity these days as well. If you have any connections to growers, try asking around or applying to positions online. Even entry level positions in these fields would allow you close access to the plant and the extraction process that takes it to the concentrates we love. While it can often be a lot of hard work, there is so much craftsmanship and knowledge to learn and if you stick with it, it is a career path ripe for growth.
On the brand side, every company needs sales and marketing support. Sales can be a good route to learn a lot about the cannabis industry and spend all day in different dispensaries while marketing will give you exposure to the branding and strategy war that’s unfolding across the country. Many of these positions are posted online but it’s helpful to know people within the industry and community as well. If you have sales or marketing experience from other industries, lean on those. If you’re new to these careers, try starting in a dispensary or networking at events and online.
As the world opens back up, make sure to take advantage of cannabis events to meet and connect with people in the industry. LinkedIn is a digital networking platform with a surprisingly large cannabis presence. Ditto Instagram - we’re not gonna lie and say people haven’t gotten jobs at 710 through reaching out through the DMs, but there’s definitely a right and a wrong way to approach it all.
No matter what you want to do in the industry, it’s a good idea to consider your goals when getting started and look for jobs and positions that can be stepping stones towards that. Every industry has stories of people rising from the bottom to the top and unless you have the experience for upper level positions, don’t be afraid to grow.
When applying, keep your resume to one page and make sure you proofread it for any grammar mistakes or spelling errors. Don’t include your photograph on the resume unless it’s specifically requested. When you’re reaching out to companies, it’s important to remember that not everyone you’ll be talking to rips fat dabs or even smokes weed at all. It’s simply a reality of the industry that as it gets bigger more people from different backgrounds will be working alongside each other. Communicate professionally when you’re applying then take a vibe check when you get the job - you’re gonna find your smoking crew. We have a whole green room here at 710 where there’s always someone partaking in a dab or doink. If you’re wondering if you too can take a smoke break at work, the answer is probably yes, as long as you don’t get so high it starts to affect your performance. Anything else you’d like to learn about this area? Let us know.