This is how you will be hired as a budget tender
When a customer enters a cannabis dispensary, the person they interact with most often is a budget tender. Budtenders are responsible for helping consumers find the right cannabis products for them. The best budtenders have a passion for cannabis, are exceptionally knowledgeable about products, and make a living from providing great customer service.
A contender job is similar to other retail gigs – they’re the ones who build direct relationships with customers, and a great attitude and work ethic are key to success. But it has many aspects that make it stand out.
Regardless of which state market you want to get into, there are a few basic similarities that you should be aware of before submitting applications. Here are some important things to consider before applying.
Do background research on companies hiring
The cannabis industry has exploded in recent years and the number of companies to potentially work for can seem daunting. At the same time, however, it allows you to be picky about where to apply.
Before you jump straight to the applications, do some research – with background checks, onboarding procedures, and individual hiring policies from the company, the process of getting a job at a pharmacy can be tedious and tedious with all the hassle.
Think about values that your ideal employer should embody. Most pharmacies list their mission statement right on their website and state if they are owned by minority groups, women, veterans, a local start-up, etc. More information about a company’s licensing, owners, or investors should be available through your state’s cannabis control bureau or cannabis commission.
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Have experience in customer service
At the end of the day, a pharmacy is still a business, so it is important to have prior experience in a retail or customer service role in order to get a budtender job. Different companies have different standards for prior knowledge, but any previous job that involved serving customers or selling products should be highlighted in your application.
Ultimately, you will be selling cannabis products in the traditional retail sense, but a big part of a budtender’s role is meeting the customer’s needs – the ability to connect, listen, and understand pharmacy customers and patients, and having a helpful attitude are essential to become a successful budget tender.
As a budget tenderer, you build trust and establish relationships with regular customers and patients. In apps, try to highlight past experiences in which you made an effort to meet a client’s needs and wants.
Be wary of budtender certification programs, at least for now. While a number of existing programs offer a comprehensive curriculum, some of them fail to prepare you thoroughly for a job in the cannabis industry.
If you are considering enrolling in a certification program, be sure to check out past graduate results before spending any money on certification. Does the company have evidence that its graduates will be hired? If not, it could be a waste of money.
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Be passionate about cannabis
This goes without saying – you wouldn’t look for a budtender job without a passion for cannabis and the range of products that pharmacies offer.
When applying to pharmacies, emphasize the personal impact cannabis has had on your life – whether you are a medical patient who has found the perfect strain to cure migraines, a hobby cook who pours cannabis into dishes, or simply just like to smoke bowl while you relax with your friends. Whatever it is, there is a reason you connect enough with cannabis to get into the industry.
The best budtenders have rich, powerful stories about the plant that can connect with customers on a personal level and show the positive impact cannabis has on their lifestyle.
A real passion and appreciation for cannabis and its uses leads to the best customer relationships. Show potential employers how important cannabis is to you and want to share this enthusiasm with others.
Know your cannabis products
You don’t need to start out as an expert, especially since a lot of the work involves learning. That being said, it’s important to brush up on general terminology and methods of consumption, and to have a solid understanding of how the plant is grown.
Become familiar with:
- Various cannabis effects (sleepy, relaxed, energetic, focused, uplifting)
- Cannabis types (sativa, indica, hybrid)
- Some of the more common terpenes (myrcene, limonene, caryophyllene)
- Concentrate consistencies and extraction methods (shatter vs. wax, butane vs. ethanol)
- Vape oil types (distillate vs. full spectrum)
- Edible dosage
While personal experimentation with products is a fun way to get firsthand knowledge, online resources are your best friend for more technical learning. Discover thousands of strains right here on Leafly, as well as in our Learning and Cannabis 101 sections.
You can also visit individual brand websites for information on specific products and production methods.
It’s also important to stay up to date on new trends and products that are constantly changing in the cannabis industry in order to provide the best recommendations to customers. One of the best ways to keep up to date is to monitor social media and industry blogs.
Before an interview, familiarize yourself with a pharmacy’s menu, especially its best-selling products. To find out, just ask the pharmacy’s current budget tenders or research the location’s menu online at Leafly – the reviews section in particular can be helpful in seeing what products customers are citing by name.
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Be adaptable in a rapidly changing industry
Adaptability is critical to being a successful budget tender, even in more stable, long-lasting markets like Colorado and California. With cannabis legislation still evolving, pharmacy policies and procedures can change frequently.
New laws can add or remove processes from your budgeting duties, and state cannabis offices often surprise cannabis dispensaries to ensure that all regulations and guidelines are properly followed.
Many small cannabis companies operate with a start-up mentality, so budget tenders need to be flexible and have a variety of responsibilities. Young professionals and upper management usually work together on a regular basis.
This also offers great advancement opportunities for budget tenders. So if you are interested in advancing in the cannabis industry, don’t hesitate to ask about advancement opportunities in the position during an interview.
Grace Griffin
Grace Griffin is a Massachusetts-based freelance journalist, with recent work for The Boston Globe and The Berkeley Beacon. For more articles and other thoughts, follow her on Twitter @GraceMGriffin.
View article by Grace Griffin
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