The cannabis industry is the fastest growing industry in the United States today, which means there are many open jobs. However, the competition to land these jobs is fierce – whether you want to find a job as a budtender, trimmer, grower, or any other role in the industry. Your resume and application will be reviewed along with dozens or possibly hundreds of others, so it’s essential that you show that you have what it takes to stand out from other applicants.

There are both tangible and intangible qualities that you should focus on developing if you want to become an irresistible candidate to hiring managers in the cannabis industry. Some of these tangible, hard skills and qualities are easy to quantify and track, such as degrees and certifications.

Others are called soft skills or qualities, and they help make you a high-performing employee. Soft skills could be aspects of your personality or they could be social and emotional intelligence skills. For example, communication and problem solving abilities are considered soft skills.

Here are 10 qualities that can give you an edge in the competitive cannabis job market. Spend some time improving them, and your chances of landing the job you want will improve significantly!

1. Knowledge

Finding a job in the cannabis industry is easy, but actually getting one of those jobs will be very difficult if you don’t have knowledge of the industry. This includes laws, medical marijuana uses, effects and benefits, business operations, cultivation, and more.

Education is the best way to get this knowledge so you qualify to work in the cannabis industry. Check out the seminars offered by Leafy Green Agency and register to get the knowledge you need before you start applying for jobs.

2. Versatility

It’s highly likely that you’ll be expected to wear many hats when you work in the cannabis industry. Remember, this is still a new industry, so teams are often small.

Employees are expected to work lean, which means you’ll be asked to pitch in and do what it takes to make the business successful and customers happy. This will often include working on tasks and projects outside of your job description.

3. Flexibility

Since the cannabis industry is still evolving, laws and rules change often. What works today might not work tomorrow, and the rules you worked so hard to comply with for the last several months or weeks might be different next month.

Be prepared for change and show employers you’re flexible enough to navigate that change seamlessly.

4. Patience

A big part of learning to navigate change and stay versatile is to exercise patience. Unfortunately, patience isn’t a quality that most people are born with.

Practice exercising patience and make the necessary changes in your thinking, decision-making, and actions to ensure you can bring that patience into your work within the cannabis industry. Employers want to know they’re hiring someone who won’t freak out when things don’t go as planned.

5. Perseverance

The cannabis industry is not a get-rich-quick industry. For most entrepreneurs, it takes a lot of time and work to be successful and generate a profit. Whether you’re the employer or employee, you can’t give up if things don’t go smoothly at first.

Show employers that you’re prepared to persevere through roadblocks that are likely to arise in the future by sharing examples of instances where you’ve persevered at work in the past. Think of the obstacles you’ve faced to complete a project or help a customer. What did you do to solve the problem even though giving up would have been easier?

6. Love of Compliance (or at Least a Healthy Respect for It)

One of the most important aspects of working in the cannabis industry is ensuring that everyone and everything is always 100% compliant with local and state laws governing marijuana activities.

It’s your responsibility as an employee to know the laws that you need to follow and make sure that you’re always in compliance with them. If you don’t, the business could lose its license or have to pay hefty fines. You don’t want to be the cause of any of those penalties!

7. Certifications

There is no easier way to prove you have the skills and knowledge to do a job than to hold a relevant certification. Leafy Green Agency offers certifications to individuals who complete any of our seminars, including our business, career, cultivation, dispensary, and medical certification seminars.

Think of it this way – who would you hire if two candidates have similar experience but one holds an industry certification and the other does not? Certifications show employers that you’re serious about working in the cannabis industry and want to be successful in your career.

8. People Skills

Many of the jobs in the cannabis industry require that you have people skills. You’ll need to speak with a variety of people from different walks of life and at different levels of organizations or the government, which means you’ll need to be able to adjust your communication style for different audiences.

Spend time improving your people skills and you’ll not only perform better on the job, but you’ll also perform better in job interviews. That means you’re more likely to get more job offers!

9. Confidence

Something you might not think about when you work in the cannabis industry is how people will react to it. Despite how far we’ve come with medical marijuana laws across the United States, there are still many people who don’t agree that marijuana should be legal in any way.

It’s important to be confident and ready to respond to people who question marijuana and your decision to support and work in the cannabis industry. Most cannabis industry workers are also medical marijuana advocates, so be prepared to confidently stay the course despite what other people may think or say.

10. A Network

The cannabis industry is growing, but it was built by small business owners who believed in what they were doing. As a result, there is still a small business mentality within the industry where people take the time get to know each other and help each other. Even most competitors have healthy relationships.

It’s important that you build a network within the cannabis industry. These relationships can help you land a job today and in the future when you’re ready to take the next step in your career. Attend industry events and be visible. Join cannabis industry LinkedIn Groups and be present in online conversations to start building these relationships as soon as possible.

Your Next Steps to Land a Job in the Cannabis Industry

Your first step to get a job in the cannabis industry is to download The Guide to Cannabis Jobs. This free guide introduces you to job opportunities, salaries, benefits, and more so you can start your job search.

Next, you need to get the necessary knowledge for hiring managers to notice you and want to talk to you. Register for a seminar in your area to obtain your medical marijuana industry certifications. You’ll learn about important job skills, laws, business operations, and more that will set you apart from other candidates and put you on the path to a successful career in the cannabis industry.