Learnings from the Cannabis Industry Put Bluntly

It is called ‘Talent Acquisition’ for a reason, the old adage “if you build it, they will come.” Does not stand true.  You need to create a purpose for people to join your organization / company and that takes commitment and work.  And from my experience the hardest question most leaders/ companies fail to answer is “why you?”  

If you want to land the best of the best for your organization here are some key tips:

Attraction. Do you have a plan installed to attract key personnel? Or is just another copy and paste post on Indeed or Kijiji? Do you have a go to market strategy? Just because you have an open door doesn’t mean the right people will mosey on in. In order to attract the best you need to take time to present a strong job description and opportunity profile. A well-crafted opportunity profile speaks to your desire to look for the best people in the market. This level of direction and specificity should carry into how you interview. You need to be willing to have career dialogue with  every candidate you meet. You want prospective employees to see the upward potential your company has to offer. If you aren’t willing to have a conversation like that with a potential new employee, why should they join your company?

These details can help set you apart from competitors, but at the end of the day it always comes down to compensation, right? I’ve been doing executive search for 13 years, and you’d be surprised at how difficult these conversations are with clients. Working for a prestigious company and getting a lavish job title can certainly woo a few prospects, but what pays the bills will be what makes or breaks a successful search.

1. Hiring committee - if you are hiring leadership positions, you should consider putting together a search committee
2. Job descriptions / Opportunity Profile - Spend time and effort on this piece, a well crafted OP speaks to commitment of management to hire the best people in market;
   
3. Career Dialogue - be prepared to have a career dialogue with every candidate you meet...this is important as people want to know what is their upward potential with your company.  If you are not prepared to have that conversation, then why should they join your company?
4. Compensation - That's right...lets talk about comp b/c no one works for free.  After 13 years in Executive search I am quite surprised at how difficult this conversation is with clients.  Aside fromy our name and what you do as a company, comp is the main reason people will join your business.  This piece makes and breaks successful searches...
5. TO use an agency or not...that is an easy question - they answer is YES!  If you work with professionals, you will get professional results.  And yes, not every search firm is amazing and not every recruiter is amazing but that goes with every profession.  I have worked with some amazing accountants and some bad ones; I have worked for some amazing and inspiring presidents and I have run screaming from some.  As the old saying goes, "...if you are only willing to pay peanuts...well you get the idea."  Your company relies on people to make it work, dont skimp out on this piece b/c you don't want to spend the money.  
   

Finally, you need to be willing to look beyond just yourself as a solo search party. A hiring committee can be a great start. If you’re hiring leadership positions a committee that knows what your company values can go a long way in finding the right candidate. A more dubious question is whether to use an agency to help or not. My advice: DO IT! If you work with professionals, you’ll professional results. Your business relies on people to make it work, so you can’t skimp out on the core of your company just because you don’t want to spend a little money. As the old saying goes, “if you’re only willing to pay peanuts…” Well you get the idea.