The cannabis industry is a hot employment market; everyone wants a piece of the pot pie! And, fortunately, need meets desire – the industry is always looking for workers who can keep up with the increasing demand.  If this applies to you – you’re a “Will Work for Weed” or “Will Work with Weed” kind of person, then you’re both in and out of luck. The bad news is that cannabis is a competitive market – everyone wants in and the elbows are flying as people scramble to slip through the proverbial door.

The good news is that looking for jobs and applying to them is relatively easy – it’s securing them that’s the hard part

So where do you start? You can go to places like Craigslist, certainly, but do so at your own risk. Most jobs posted on Craigslist and Craigslist-like sites are legitimate, but some are financial scams. And others are masterminded by people who will someday be featured on ID Discovery. A better option is to go through online sites that are specifically geared towards the marijuana industry. But, before you log on, know what you’re after. To do this, you have to decide what kind of job you truly want.

The Best Job in the Cannabis Industry

The best job in the marijuana industry really comes down to what’s best for you, but, per Forbes, the top five cannabis occupations include the following: Master Growers: Grow cannabis while growing their bank accounts – they can make more than 100,000 dollars a year as well as a percentage of the profits. As of right now, the master growers highest in demand hail from California. People from the Golden State have a reputation for having golden green thumbs. Dispensary Managers: If you want to dance with plants all day long, working in a pot store is a good option. Like all kinds of stores, pot stores need managers, people who can lead and make executive (and not so executive) decisions. Going into management helps people climb the corporate ladder, too. Extraction Technicians: Extracts derived from cannabis are exceedingly popular and their demand is likely to increase: they’re the new flower.

In some stores, extracts account for 40 percent or more of sales

and that provides extraction technicians with lots of job security. The machines do the actual extraction – it’s not someone with a straw and exceptional lung capacity – but technicians are needed to monitor quality. They assure consistency so that people – especially medical marijuana patients – are ingesting the right dosages. Bud Trimmers: The life of the bud trimmer isn’t glamorous – they don’t make much money and the work is redundant. However, it’s a job that acts as a stepping stone. It gets your foot in the door – start here and then hang up your scissors forever. Store Owners: Of course, we’d all love to bypass the lower jobs and just start out as the person in charge (“I’m not only the marijuana president, but I’m also a client.”). Yet the job of owner isn’t one that you can apply for. Rather, it takes money – lots of money. Many owners have to front millions of dollars in order to get their party started. In other words, if you’re not a friend of Mark Zuckerberg, become one. The Sites Worthy of a Visit If any of the above jobs intrigue you (or any job involving weed seems fitting – taste tester, perhaps?), there are several sites that offer a list of opportunities as well as other services. A few of these sites include:

Top Cannabis Employment Sites

THC Jobs

THC Jobs is a free service for those searching (employers pay a nominal fee). It’s mobile-compatible, allowing you to search for marijuana jobs from wherever you want – the cubicle of your present, boring job, for instance. It also features recent marijuana news, giving you a chance to keep up with the trends of legalization.

420 Careers

420 Careers allows you to search jobs by type – full-time, part-time, or free-lance. You can also search by keyword, location, category, and salary.

Ms. Mary Staffing

Ms Mary Staffing isn’t a job board; rather it’s a company that offers staffing solution for those in the cannabis industry. In addition to matching employee with employer, it recruits people for specific careers and offers HR assistance, payroll solutions, and expertise on marijuana regulations (such as things like workman’s comp).

WeedHire

WeedHire describes itself as “the monster.com of marijuana” and it appears to work in a similar fashion.

It’s a good site for those who aren’t sure whether or not they’re ready for the cannabis industry

– it provides several resources that allow you to decide if pot is a career path worth strolling down (or running down, full speed ahead).

Cannajobs  

Cannajobs, according to their website, is the only staffing agency solely dedicated to the cannabis industry. They offer direct-hire, contract-hire, and temporary staffing. Prospective employees are asked to submit their resumes which are then made available for employers.

The Typical Sites

While not marijuana-specific, sites like Indeed and Monster do list jobs in the cannabis industry. The big job sites may occasionally come across as intimidating – nothing helps your self-worth quite as much as applying to a job on Indeed only to be told you’re one of 884 applicants! – but they’re another resource, nonetheless. It’s not easy to break into the weed workforce – it’s a competitive market with many people hoping to capitalize on the progression we hope to see more of. The above steps may help but so may knowing someone already in the industry. Like the saying goes, it’s not what you know but who. Thus, broaden your pot circle and see what happens.