A first impression can make a lasting impact.  Positioned at the forefront of daily customer interactions, budtenders play a crucial role in shaping the shopping experience and the dispensary’s overall success.

Indeed defines a budtender as “a cannabis expert who assists customers in finding and purchasing products at a dispensary.” They are employees at legal and licensed cannabis dispensaries and similar to bartenders, help customers find the products they need. Instead of alcohol, they serve medical or recreational cannabis products to customers. They provide guidance around customers’ questions, explain the different strains of cannabis available, and help customers make informed decisions based on their preferences and needs.

To ensure a positive experience for both customers and your team, hiring the right candidates with the proper qualifications and expertise is essential. However, identifying and attracting these skilled individuals can often be a challenge for dispensary owners and managers. In this blog, we’ll discuss budtender responsibilities and requirements, what makes a great budtender, and how to attract qualified candidates.

Wondering why it’s important to treat every applicant like a rockstar? Take a look at how creating a great candidate experience makes all the difference!

Most common budtender responsibilities

 

Being on the sales floor, your budtenders need to provide customers with prompt service and quality interactions. In addition to assisting the management team with key tasks, one of their primary duties is ensuring that customers receive the support they need to make informed decisions. By clearly outlining job responsibilities, you set the right expectations from the very start— the moment they apply! Some common responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Welcome and interact with guests in a warm manner and with professionalism
• Promote a positive work environment that is customer service oriented and compliant with established policies and procedures
• Responsible for assisting with daily operations, managing product displays, and ensuring that all regulatory standards are met
• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of the industry’s latest trends and product information 
• Verifying proper paperwork, documentation, and ID for guests
• Must be able to accurately use and maintain a Point of Sale (POS) system
• Responsible for ensuring excellent customer service by educating customers on the safe use of their selected cannabis products
• Responsible for keeping inventory counts of all dispensary products
• Stock products while maintaining a clean and organized store environment 
• Must be capable of certain physical demands such as standing for shift periods and lifting a certain number of pounds

Choosing budtender requirements

Ever-changing laws and regulations can make defining exact budtender requirements a bit tricky! Frequent changes in the industry often create compliance challenges, as certain states and local laws have unique requirements for working in the legal cannabis sector. These regulations can also differ between medical and recreational cannabis dispensaries, adding further complexity to your hiring process. That’s why it’s essential to stay informed and ensure you comply with all local, state, and federal guidelines to avoid potential issues.

When outlining requirements, keep the following considerations in mind:

• Should I require a high school diploma? This varies from business to business, but many set a high school diploma as a minimum requirement for hiring budtenders.
• Does my state have a minimum age requirement? While 21 is common, the required age can range from 18 to 21 years old.
• Are there budtender prerequisites? While there is no national standard in place, it’s important to recognize that certain states may legally require a license, working permit, or badge of some kind depending on their specific regulations. Additionally, while a budtender certification is not always required, some companies may request it as part of their hiring process. Finally, although somewhat uncommon, some states even require cannabis-specific training.
• What about background checks? Most states, though not all, require employees and owners in the cannabis industry to undergo comprehensive background checks, including fingerprinting. This requirement can vary from state to state and may already be part of the process when obtaining a cannabis career license.

What makes a great budtender

A great budtender is defined by you, the dispensary owner, or the general manager! Typically considered an entry-level position, you have the opportunity to outline the work experience you expect your budtenders to bring to the business based on the candidate profile you’re compiling. Are you hiring an experienced budtender who is passionate about cannabis and can hit the ground running? Or are you seeking someone with adaptability who can leverage their years of retail experience while you train them to gain cannabis experience? As long as you remain compliant with local, state, and federal requirements, you have the flexibility to choose the individuals who best fit your needs.

But what if you’ve defined the candidate profile and are still having trouble filling the role(s)? If you find yourself with a small candidate pool, consider decreasing certain requirements as long as you maintain compliance with necessary regulations. For instance, you could lower the years of experience required to welcome less experienced or new cannabis employees to apply. On the other hand, if you have an overwhelming number of candidates, you can increase your requirements and adopt a more selective approach to narrow down the field. 

Job descriptions that attract qualified candidates

When you are thoughtful with your job description and requisition, you’ll attract thoughtful applicants. A good budtender must be able to manage in-store tasks effectively and also be able to enhance the customer experience. Establishing clear guidelines and expectations begins with the hirer. Don’t forget that while certain skills are essential to the job role, others can be taught! For example, not every applicant needs to consume cannabis to stay updated on industry trends, but they should be punctual. Asking the right interview questions is important, as it allows you to assess whether candidates possess the necessary qualities and skills. Moreover, strong talent acquisition strategies can further improve your hiring efforts. Implementing employee referral programs can effectively fill open positions while establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives can greatly enhance your company culture.

 

Our budtender job description template

Now comes the fun part, crafting your job description!

Some essential information to include is a budtender title, what department they’re in, the manager they report to, employment status, FLSA status, and effective date. Next, provide a company background so applicants have insight into the company’s culture, values, and goals, you can attract candidates who resonate with your organization. Then, create a position summary to describe the primary function of the job. 

The bulk of your job description will be the Essential Duties and Responsibilities of the role, which we provided a start to above! These are the major functions for which the person in the role is held accountable and comprise the means of accomplishing the job’s purpose and objectives.

Don’t forget to list your minimum qualifications such as knowledge, skills, and abilities. Some recommended budtender skills are (but not limited to):

• Exceptional customer service skills and possibly previous customer service experience
• Organizational skills
• Cannabis industry experience preferred, but not always required
• Industry, company, and product knowledge
• Communication skills
• Basic computer skills, point-of-sale software, and cash management knowledge
• Attention to detail
• Education-level desired

And finally, any additional employee benefits your company offers. It’s also worth noting your state might require you to post a salary range for the position.

Already hired a budtender? Check out our free onboarding plans!

How to use Wurk in your recruiting process

Incorporating Wurk into your recruiting process can significantly enhance your hiring experience. Our ATS module integrates seamlessly with Indeed, allowing candidates to apply through Wurk and easily transfer their information upon hire—no manual processes are required! This integration also eliminates the hassle of double postings, streamlining your workflow.

Moreover, Wurk provides a wealth of resources through Mineral, including valuable interview questions, guides, job descriptions, and requisition templates to support your hiring needs. Our Managed Services team offers expert insights on recruiting strategies, job description rewording, optimal posting locations, and total rewards analysis, ensuring you stay competitive in the market. Plus, with our Compensation Benchmarking tool, you can confidently assess and align your wages with industry standards. By leveraging Wurk, you can simplify your hiring process and attract top talent with ease.