Tell us about yourself and your origin story

I’ve been in human resources and talent acquisition almost as long as I’ve been a cannabis consumer, going on 20 years. However, up until 2016 when I opened my executive search firm, I was unable to make my passion for the plant known due to fear of being judged and jeopardizing a career that I am equally passionate about. Given my years of experience in-house with two of the largest alcohol companies in the world, and my passion and experience in the cannabis industry, pairing the two highly regulated industries together made sense. Having been on all sides of the equation, I’m able to offer a real-life perspective and my extensive network to companies of all sizes regardless of where they are in their journey, from startup to M&A.

Tell us about your role and your company

My firm, Gehl Search Partners, provides high-caliber talent with regulatory experience in the alcohol, cannabis, hemp, and drinks industries. We collaborate with clients to identify, attract, and onboard accomplished professionals primarily ranging from mid-level executives through C-Suite and Board of Directors. We also help to ramp up or revamp entire teams. I am the Chief Recruiter, and I am always headhunting. I really pride myself on providing the best talent as a whole rather than simply who is available at that time. I’m truly passionate about headhunting so I remain involved and fully committed in the search process to consult with clients and candidates while support staff handles the back-office responsibilities.

Give us an overview on Cannabis jobs and where the state of the union is for jobs and talent.

The sheer volume of open roles in the cannabis industry continues to grow and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future as we continue to see more states legalize. The demand for those experienced in the industry continues to increase, however, there are still considerable opportunities for those who can bring their CPG/Tech/Pharma backgrounds into the space.

What are some differences in personality traits in cannabis sales and marketing people vs wine and spirits?

The most common thing I hear is that wine and spirits people coming into the cannabis industry typically think their budget isn’t big enough, whether for a project or for T&E.  It is important for those entering the cannabis industry right now to understand that for many companies it is a challenge to be profitable, much less have budgets that can compare to companies that are decades old and much further along with consumer loyalty, with greater reach and distribution - by a massive scale. The cannabis industry has learned not only how to be lean, but how to work in partnership with other companies whether by joint ventures or in marketing or events.

Give us 4-5 questions leaders can ask when hiring people for Cannabis sales?

Describe your typical work week. How much time do you spend out in the field meeting with buyers and decision-makers? (Do they have a set plan or is it willy-nilly?)

Tell me about a time when you had sold a product to a new account only to find out that there was a supply issue, and that product was no longer available. How did you handle it?

Describe your process on tracking your actual sales versus quota. How do you know it’s time to follow up with your prospects?

Tell me your greatest success story in sales, in any industry. What happened and what steps did you take to earn that sale?

What kind of companies do you see that have hiring demand?

Ancillary companies tend to have the greatest number of open roles, largely because they do not face the same challenges in operating a business as plant-touching companies. There are several tech companies who have had successful raises recently and they have the leg up in attracting certain types of talent in comparison to those who touch the plant. Well-funded MSO’s have a lot of hiring demand, typically with the largest volume of open roles in production and processing.

What kind of roles are in demand right now?

Sales professionals with a strong network within the industry will always be in demand, as will finance leaders who aren’t afraid of the nuances. Experienced cultivators who are equally as talented in growing as they are in the curing process are consistently in demand, especially those who have previously worked within the regulated framework. Operational leaders who drive strategy and can balance the regulatory side with the people side of the business to create solid teams with an inclusive culture are very much in demand.

What sort of onboarding programs would you advise when Cannabis companies board new people?

Great question. I work with our clients to onboard new hires and some are more open to feedback than others. My suggestions are that while strategizing for the open role, the hiring manager should have an idea of what they would like to have accomplished in the first 30-60-90 days, 6 months, and 12 months.  Once the successful candidate is hired, the hiring manager should sit down with them very early on and reiterate the expectations (which should not be a surprise as it was discussed during the interviewing process).

Together they create and agree to KPI’s, timelines, and goals; there is continued and regular progress check-in’s both live and in writing. The strategy should be open to tweaks as the company is likely experiencing challenges and successes and this cannot always be directly reflected onto the employee if a goal is not met. I’ve found that creating a relationship based on honest and open communication is key, even when the employee is stating things you may not want to hear.

The company culture onboarding is equally important. People tend to want to feel a sense of belonging. What are you doing to ensure that genuine relationships between fellow employees are possible? Ask your employees if there are areas outside of their current role that is of interest to them. You may find that your best salesperson wants to learn more about finance and now you have them working together on a project to deliver fact-based data to help your sales team be even more effective.

I’ve seen so many companies do incredible things that make it look like there are 100 employees, when in reality there are less than 20, because of collaboration and communication.

Are there ways that people can learn about cannabis to get good basic knowledge that can help them in interviews?

Absolutely. The great news is there are so many more options for cannabis education than ever before. Depending on how much time and dedication you can dedicate to it, there are a few options. If you are looking for an incredibly in-depth program where you can learn from true pioneers in the cannabis industry, I suggest looking into Ganjier certification.

If cannabis is relatively new and you are looking for basic to advanced knowledge and/or an idea of the cannabis culture, Leafly is a great resource. There are many great resources out there, these are two that I personally respect.

Tips for people trying to get jobs in Cannabis

If you have an interest in joining the cannabis industry, the earlier you do the better. In states where adult consumption has been legal for more than two years, prior experience in cannabis becomes more and more necessary. Those who “took the chance” early on are now earning lucrative salaries and are recognized professionals in the industry. Resilience is key as is the ability to adapt to change and to pivot on a dime to get things done, sometimes in unexpected ways.

What are some good job platforms to find Cannabis jobs?

This is a tough one as I’m personally not a big believer in posting jobs as a recruitment firm, although from time to time it is necessary or requested by the client.  Recruitment fees are paid for many reasons, mostly it is for our ability to network and to headhunt from your direct competitors, not to “post and pray”.  However, employers who have the time to sift through scores of resumes and to post on numerous job boards who are extremely organized can definitely have success.  But there isn’t a “one size fits all” job board.

There are niche boards for the cannabis industry but none of them are going to be the best job board for each role needing to be filled, nor for each candidate searching for their next opportunity.  For example, the job board you utilized to find your Marketing Director isn’t necessarily going to attract qualified candidates for the compliance job you now need to fill, or for the head cultivator. I suggest to those companies who want to go down this route to track the data to determine where you are seeing the best candidates for each type of role posted.

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