We talk a lot about my dreams in my weekly letters (subscribe here to make sure you get them). From van life to spending weeks in the woods writing a book and moving across the country, dreams are kind of a theme around here. We’re always aiming a little higher.
One of my dreams I haven’t talked about as much would be to own a marijuana dispensary. I got the idea when I moved to Colorado and I was standing outside of one, uh, waiting for a “friend.” Overhearing those conversations, I thought, “man, this is the happiest retail experience on earth.”
Yes, these people are even happier than a kid who’s about to see Mickey. The sugar crash isn’t as bad around these folks, either.
Elevated Above The Rest
The cannabis industry, and all new industries, have an incredible opportunity to stand out (and it’s not just for being everyone’s bud). There are over 420 cannabis jobs open right now – over 12,000 according to Indeed, and I’m hoping this industry can set a higher bar for job postings than manufacturing, operations, and agriculture companies have before them.
That’s the thing about these new industries – they’re really just evolutions on the old. These new categories create a rising tide that elevates the candidate experience bar for everyone in the industries it impacts. In this case, it happens to be some of the oldest, most traditional industries there are.
I say smoke them out. Make them leave that hiding place. Put their dirt on display.
Say No Without Taking A Hit
When you’re working in new and niche markets where candidates crave working for you, sometimes you have to say no before you can say yes. That means telling some people not to apply.
However, you don’t want to destroy your reputation in a highly niche market, either, with elitist language and rejection-focus. The specialists in this field know each other and will talk.
Two ways to tell people not to apply without burning bridges:
- Add this to the first paragraph of your job to explain exactly what experience they need to apply. Remember, most people haven’t worked in the industry before. Be explicit about transferrable skills. —> For example, have experience working in a high volume medical or pharmacy environment where you talk to 20+ customers in a day.
- Create an indirect call to action. That means some place they can show interest instead of applying to jobs they aren’t qualified for. Send them to a link where anyone can apply even if there isn’t a job posted for them, indicating their general department area.
One thing is for sure: don’t post some speech about why people should not apply because it comes off a little like a narc investing in marijuana – no one trusts it.
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