October 25, 2018
Subscribe to our newsletter to get alerts about new posts, local news, and industry insights.
Vangst is the cannabis industry’s largest full-service recruiting and staffing firm with a focus on hard to fill positions as well as seasonal and temporary labor. Having the largest job board in the industry, it’s not surprising that Vangst has connected over 7,500 candidates with jobs since it launched in 2015.
According to Vangst’s 2018 Cannabis Salary Guide, the cannabis job market is skyrocketing with 690% growth in listings between January 1, 2017 and August 1, 2018. Salaries are also on the rise with an increase of 16.1% between 2017 and 2018. Growth is expected to continue with an additional 220% projected growth in cannabis industry jobs in 2019.
To gain more insights into the cannabis job market and how Vangst uses the Cannabiz Media License Database to connect employers with job candidates, I spoke with Amanda Guerrero, Business Development Manager for Vangst, to learn more.
As the leading recruiting and staffing firm in the cannabis industry, Vangst leverages its job board, career fairs, and innovative Direct Hire and GIGS solutions to help job candidates find permanent and temporary positions. In addition, the Vangst team of recruiters works closely with employer clients to find highly qualified candidates for positions that can be challenging to fill, particularly in a new and rapidly growing industry like cannabis.
Some of the most common positions that Vangst helps cannabis industry employers fill include Director of Cultivation, Director of Extraction, Director of Finance, COO, VP, Sales, Dispensary Manager, and Outside Sales Representative.
“There are quite a few requests coming in for sales, finance, operations, and executive level positions within all sectors of the cannabis industry,” says Amanda. “We’re also seeing a high request, no pun intended, for senior level cultivation talent with previous experience in big ag or with an educational background in agronomy, horticulture, etc. We anticipate to continue seeing more requests for senior level talent with previous experience in the industries outlined above, especially when it comes to multi-state and multi-country license holders.”
Vangst has been subscribing to the Cannabiz Media License Database for nearly a year. For the first several months, Vangst used the database for research, but a few months ago, the company became a power user.
“Vangst and Cannabiz partnered together in 2017 on a sales manager search, which resulted in the placement of Davis Thode, Business Development at Cannabiz,” shares Amanda. “At the time we had a very small team and didn’t have a need for the Cannabiz Medial License Database. However, once our sales team grew to five people, we recognized the value of a centralized prospecting tool and decided to commit to using the Cannabiz Database. Since then, we’ve been able to grow our business development managers’ territories through the Database’s targeted email marketing campaigns and easily accessible contact information as well as to verify prospective clients’ licenses and level of legitimacy. The Cannabiz Database has been a great tool for the Vangst sales team and will be something we utilize for a very long time.”
In addition, Vangst uses the repository of up-to-date state laws available within the Cannabis Media License Database for its own employees’ education. Since Vangst began using the Cannabiz Media License Database for email marketing, the company has experienced some amazing results.
In response to the rapid industry growth, Vangst is actively developing innovative recruiting and job search solutions to service the cannabis market in the future. For example, Vangst is launching its GIGS platform, which connects on-demand employees with employers. GIGS is expected to be popular for companies that need to hire temporary or seasonal help.
Amanda explains, “Currently, we’re seeing cannabis companies across the globe request sales, finance, operations, and executive level candidates at various levels. The industry as a whole is experiencing another growth cycle and evolution of what a true ‘cannabis professional’ looks like. There is less of an emphasis on candidates having cannabis experience, unless applying for a retail or cultivation position out of state, and is more focused on whether or not a candidate has experience taking a company public, has worked with a life-sciences company developing product formulations, or has previously launched a brand in a new market and overseen a national sales team of 50+.
“The need for hourly and manual labor is being addressed through our GIGS platform which will act as a first step for candidates who are looking to get their foot in the door of a cannabis company in Colorado, California, and Washington. Vangst is committed to helping candidates get into the cannabis industry across all levels in North America and international markets through our direct hire placement services and the Vangst GIGS platform.”
As it grows, Vangst plans to continue using the Cannabiz Media License Database as an important part of its business intelligence and marketing strategies. Amanda says, “The Cannabiz Database is a fantastic resource for Vangst because it allows us to verify prospective clients’ licenses and send targeted email campaigns to prospective clients in new markets, and it provides easy access to C-level executives in the cannabis industry through their verified contact information. The Cannabiz Media License Database will be a tool the Vangst team uses for a very long time.”
With the cannabis job market exploding, it’s an exciting time for Vangst and Cannabis Media.
If you’d like to see a free demo of the Cannabiz Media License Database and learn what it can do for you and your business, just follow the link to schedule a demo now.
.png)