Writing an inclusive, compelling cannabis job description will help you attract qualified candidates that are the right fit for your open position. When you publish a job opening, you are competing with millions of other opportunities. By crafting an ideal job listing, you can stand out from the sea of options. Not to mention, your job descriptions are a part of your marketing strategy for your cannabis company. It’s a chance to display your brand narrative.
To write the best cannabis job description for your open role, you have to be inclusive, concise, and present the role and its responsibilities in an easily comprehensible way. There are hundreds of thousands of people looking for cannabis careers. To help your cannabis business find the right match, we have put together the ultimate guide to writing the best cannabis job description for your company.
Writing an Inclusive Cannabis Job Description
Without even knowing it, you could be writing job descriptions that favor a specific gender or are exclusive to a certain race or culture. Something as small as a word may affect whether or not you are attracting diverse talent with your description. When it comes to talent acquisition, ensuring your job posts are inclusive is essential. Check out these simple tips on creating inclusive descriptions for cannabis jobs:
Take Out Gender-Coded Words
The vocabulary of your job description can make a huge difference to who you attract. There are gender-coded words that reduce the number of women applying to open positions. Some of the gender-coded words include the following: rock star, guru, dominate, driven, fearless, aggressive, and champion. To ensure your job ad isn’t using gender-coded words, utilize the Gender Decoder tool.
Only List Must-Haves in Your Job Description
You may want to include every single qualification for the cannabis job, but to make it an inclusive description the list must be concise. Studies show that men are likely to apply for positions where they meet only 60% of the qualifications, but women tend to hesitate unless they meet 100% of the qualifications. If you cut down your list to must-haves and get rid of nice-to-haves, you will likely see more applications from female candidates. This may also work even better with cannabis executive jobs, as candidates won’t stress as much over wanting to tick every box on a long list.
Avoid Unnecessary Corporate Language
Using insider language is an easy way to lose qualified talent. It will also keep young, talented candidates from applying to entry-level positions. Assuming the candidate knows the ins and outs of your company when writing your job description may result in a confusing post. Ditch acronyms and insider terms and use more universal language.
Show Your Cannabis Company’s Dedication to Diversity and Inclusion
Yes, you can say that you are an equal opportunity employer, but saying that statement in your own words makes it more authentic. You can also state the steps you take to be an equal opportunity employer and briefly explain initiatives for diversity and inclusion. Additionally, you can share your company culture and work environment and how both nurture diversity and inclusion. People looking to start cannabis careers are searching for progressive companies, so show that you are one.
Cannabis Job Title
When creating your job title, make it precise and include keywords that describe the role accurately. Many cannabis careers have multiple title variations–choose ones that are most commonly searched. You can even look up the job title you’re thinking of using in a keyword tool to check the search volume. Additionally, you can use a tool like Google Trends to check the “interest over time” or popularity of a keyword or keyword phrase. Again, avoid using corporate language or anything that may confuse cannabis job seekers. Think like a candidate and be straight forward, using standard terms that they would search for. For example, using the title Cannabis Concierge may be confusing. Using the industry-standard term Budtender is ideal. Sticking to position titles people actually search for will help you get more quality candidates.
Cannabis Company Summary
Similar to a movie, you should open with an attention-grabber. Present what makes your company unique, start with something humorous, or begin with an interesting or impressive fact about your business. After that, you should focus on giving an overview of your company and expectations for the open cannabis job. Keep in mind that your summary is the first introduction to your company’s brand narrative. Therefore, you should include an overview of your work environment, company culture, beliefs, and values. Also, you can briefly mention reasons as to why a job seeker would love to work for your organization. Additionally, for optimization purposes, include an exact job location or mention that it’s a remote or hybrid role. Keep the summary around five sentences long at most.
Cannabis Job Responsibilities & Duties
When you write the cannabis job responsibilities and duties, make sure you include the crucial details but make it concise. Put yourself in the position of those looking for cannabis careers. Choose language that is easy to understand and gets straight to the point. Use action words (collaborate, communicate, etc.) to describe duties clearly and communicate your expectations. Additionally, you want to highlight duties that may be unique to the position for your company, allowing candidates to understand the full requirements of the role.
Zoom out and show the bigger picture by explaining how the position helps the organization. Mention who the role reports to and the day-to-day activities of the job. By doing so, you’ll show the purpose of the position and how the role impacts the company, displaying an investment in teamwork. Candidates will then better understand if they are the right fit.
Qualifications & Skills
Focus on the necessary skills required for the cannabis job. Include both hard skills and soft skills to paint a comprehensive picture of what you are looking for as a cannabis employer, as well as what the company needs. Refrain from listing every single requirement—keep the list concise. If you add too many qualifications and skills, exceptional candidates may become too intimidated to apply.
To encourage more diverse candidates to apply, stick to must-have skills and qualifications. Create two lists if you choose to include the preferred qualifications and skills. Also, you can even encourage the reader to apply if they do not have any qualifications and skills on the nice-to-have list. Additionally, you can remind them that soft skills, such as communication and creativity, along with their ability to learn, are more important than checking off some of the preferred hard skills.
Salary, Benefits & Perks
Including the salary or a salary range for your cannabis job description is pivotal. Being upfront about the salary shows that your company is transparent and honest. LinkedIn conducted a survey about what part of a job description caught people’s attention the most. It wasn’t surprising to see that the salary was the most popular section by miles. Additionally, with more companies listing compensation, it can help in leading to more pay equity in the cannabis industry.
Candidates want to ensure the cannabis careers they are striving for include the right benefits. Benefits and perks have a tremendous impact on whether or not a candidate accepts a job offer or even applies in the first place. Make a list of your top company perks and benefits. According to a survey reported by HR Executive, these are the top non-insurance benefits employees want:
- Paid time off
- Flexibility/remote work options
- Paid family leave
Employees are aware of their mental health more than ever, making paid time off the number one benefit for a majority of the workforce. Additionally, if you have unique perks for a specific role (e.g. a company-paid sales course taught by a top sale executive), mention it. You may even consider promoting your attractive benefits and perks on your cannabis job descriptions or on your social media channels.
Sample Cannabis Job Description: Dispensary Manager
About Company X
Company X is a trusted, vertically integrated cannabis company run by a diverse team that is committed to delivering high-quality products and services to customers who are new to the plant, those who have been using it for years, and everyone in between. Through our brand, we want to promote diversity and inclusion, healthy lifestyles, and peaceful minds. We serve thousands of clients through retail dispensaries, greenhouse cultivation, commercial distribution, e-commerce, and home delivery.
We are currently hiring a Dispensary Manager for our San Francisco location. The right candidate is a collaborative leader and community ambassador who is willing and enthusiastic about coaching store managers and staff to find success and make genuine connections with our audience. They will oversee day-to-day operations, manage staff, develop strategies to improve the business, ensure strict adherence to local laws and regulations, and maintain an inclusive, positive work environment.
Job Responsibilities & Duties
- Provide exceptional customer service through customer education, building a healthy rapport with customers and staff, and maintaining proper compliance with state and local regulations.
- Be a coach and leader on the dispensary floor and an optimistic, innovative problem solver using data analytics and industry trends to drive profitability.
- Analyze industry and business trends to develop plans that maximize sales and meet/exceed store goals.
- Monitor for appropriate product stock levels and proper marketing materials, and ensure the presentation of the dispensary is exemplary.
- Train and develop store managers with a growth mindset, so they evolve their skills continually.
- Supervise all managers and employees, ensuring them you are there for both technical and moral support.
Required Skills & Qualifications
- Must be at least 21 years old and able to pass a state background check
- At least 2 years of retail management experience
- Proven ability to lead and manage a team, as well as problem solve
- Capable of developing effective retail strategies and customer service best practices
- Ability to understand and analyze data and financial reports
- Able to work well in a diverse team in a fast-paced, regulated environment
- Has a strong desire to achieve success and a matching work ethic
- Possesses strong oral and written communication skills ·
- Has at least an intermediate knowledge of strains, genetics, and effects of cannabis and cannabis-infused products
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $25 – 30 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental Insurance
- Employee certification training
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
Schedule:
- 8-hour shift Monday to Friday
- Day/night shifts
- Holidays
Education:
High school or equivalent
Experience:
Supervising Experience: 2 years (preferred)
Customer Service: 3 years (preferred)
Work Location: San Francisco, CA
