6 Recruiting Platforms for the Marijuana Industry
Rapid expansion in the legal marijuana market means hundreds of new cannabis businesses are opening each month. From dispensaries and growers, to delivery startups and cannabis technology platforms, acceleration in the market is being limited not by lack of demand or lack of innovation, but by lack of qualified employees to fill all the available positions.
With federal marijuana regulations still in flux, and the industry itself just now moving into the mainstream, potential recruits aren’t sure where to look for jobs and cannabis companies are having trouble filling key positions. By some estimates, there are as many as 160,000 people working in the cannabis industry right now. By 2022, that number is expected to grow to 340,000. With cannabis startups already fighting over top talent, some are questioning where all those employees are going to come from.
Cannabis startups are struggling to recruit job candidates who understand the cannabis market, which is opening the door to an entirely new vertical for technology firms with recruitment platforms. With the market itself still in its infancy, a handful of key players are vying to become the go-to recruiting sources for the cannabis industry as they work to match employers with job seekers who understand the state-by-state rules and regulations that govern the marijuana market.
To better understand who these key players are, and which features or solutions they’re developing to differentiate themselves, we put together this primer. Here are six of the most talked-about recruiting solutions for the marijuana industry.
1. Vangst
Although Vangst is still young, the company has quickly grown to become one of the biggest players in the recruiting space for cannabis industry. To date, the company has already connected more than 10,000 candidates with jobs, taking advantage of its sizeable database of more than 150,000 active candidates. Candidates who work with Vangst are pre-qualified and screened. The company’s bi-directional technology platform, Vangst GIGS, matches employers looking to fill short-term positions in the marijuana industry with job seekers looking for temporary employment.
2. Viridian Staffing
A veteran player in this space, Viridian Staffing has been offering recruiting, staffing, and HR services to businesses in the medical marijuana, recreational cannabis, and industrial hemp sectors since 2013. Viridian says it has the industry’s most formidable database of talent, bringing together skilled executives from a wide variety of related industries. In working with cannabis businesses, Viridian offers direct placements, consultants, and temporary workers. Unlike some other recruiting platforms, which focus more on opportunities for dispensary personnel, Viridian specializes in filling roles in executive management, chemistry, pharmacy, and retail management.
3. NudleBox
NudleBox is a recruitment platform that uses technology to match candidates with jobs in the marijuana industry. The company specializes in working with job seekers at all different levels of skill, looking for everything from entry-level to executive-level positions. Candidates are pre-qualified and pre-screened before being connected with cannabis businesses via the Nudlebox platform. Nudlebox utilizes a combination of direct hire, career fairs, and a popular online job board.
4. HempStaff
HempStaff has carved out a niche for itself in hemp and cannabis recruiting. In addition to hosting a platform that job seekers can use to search for opportunities in the cannabis market, HempStaff also runs a training division that specializes in training inexperienced candidates for cannabis jobs. Executives who work in related fields can take advantage of HempStaff’s training to learn more about the science of cannabis and how it works. HempStaff says there are no upfront costs for cannabis businesses that use its platform or services to find new talent.
5. Gehl Search Partners
Gehl Search Partners specializes in finding talent for a range of positions in highly regulated industries, including the marijuana and adult beverages industries. The company focuses on finding employees to fill sales, marketing, strategy, finance, and accounting roles. It collaborates with businesses looking to branch into new markets, providing executives with lists of viable options who’ve been vetted based on employment records, qualifications, and salary requirements.
6. Ganjapreneur
An educational resource for cannabis professionals, Ganjapreneur hosts a popular job board with listings from marijuana companies of all sizes. In addition to posting career opportunities on its cannabis job board, Ganjapreneur also posts freelance opportunities within the industry. Ganjapreneur charges businesses $125 to post their job listings, and $250 to have those listings included in their newsletters or social media feeds. Job seekers can access those listings for free.
Stephanie Miles is a senior editor at Street Fight.
