Pot experience is no longer a prerequisite for cannabis jobs. “You have to be a leader already,” advises Kyle Arfsten, Director of Business Development at Vast, “cannabis companies are looking for proven track records.”
Vast is one of the world’s leading and largest cannabis recruiting agencies. Through direct hire, contract to hire and career fairs, they have landed over 3,000 jobs for people in the cannabis industry.
Vast prides themselves on bringing in top talent from all industries.
“On the placement side, we are seeing a ton of experienced candidates,” says Arfsten,”but the role doesn’t pay as much as an established industry, so cannabis companies are looking for people to take that risk.”
New Frontier Data is a cannabis market research and analytics firm. They gave The Cannabist a first look at their 2017 annual outlook on the cannabis industry.
The Cannabist reports a projection of up to 255,000 jobs in the cannabis sector within the next three years.
Vast founder and serial entrepreneur, Karson Humiston agree. “We are seeing a lot of transition between non-cannabis and cannabis jobs, people are taking pay-cuts to get into this new industry,” she says.
A year ago, she wasn’t even looking at non-cannabis candidates. Cannabis companies used to only want to hire people with pot experience.
It’s no longer a prerequisite for cannabis jobs. The cannabis part can usually be taught, if the person has the right background and education. Specifically, in the extractions business, legacy growers need not apply. Instead, these companies are seeking Ph.D.’s to employ.
Jordan Smith is a Vast Account Manager, she’s also Humiston’s first Vast employee. She tells The Weed Blog, “a year ago, the demand for C-level positions wasn’t nearly as high as it is now. The industry is realizing the need to bring in C-suite professionals from all different industries. It is amazing to see how far the industry has grown in just one year.”
It’s becoming competitive, says Arfsten. He explains that they are seeing candidates flooding in from non-cannabis backgrounds, which is creating a competitive market for job seekers in the green space.
It can push down the pay of some salaried jobs in the industry. Perhaps that’s why Vast is seeing a stabilization in salaries, and an increase in talent.
Some of the cannabis companies working with Vast include Native Roots, Leaf link, Headset, Tikun Olam, O.Pen Vape, incredible.