Some of the most important hiring decisions in cannabis are influenced by conversations candidates never hear about.
Informal or “back-channel” references are one of the most common – and most misunderstood – parts of hiring in this industry. The pros are obvious. The cons are serious. And whether people like it or not, they’re not going away.
Cannabis is a small, highly interconnected space. Operators, executives, and managers move frequently between companies, and reputations travel fast. Because of that, back channeling happens here more than in almost any industry I’ve worked in.
Often, it’s driven by one simple thing: fear. Companies are trying to avoid making the wrong hire, especially for critical roles.
I’m not here to tell companies not to do it. But I am going to tell you to be thoughtful about how and when you do it.
And just as importantly, candidates need to understand how to navigate a world where these conversations are happening, whether they’re visible or not.
The client perspective: Why back channels exist
The appeal of back-channel references is straightforward.
They can surface information that doesn’t show up on a resume or in a curated list of references.
They can help validate how someone actually operates, including:
- How they lead
- How they execute
- How they show up under pressure
In a fast-moving, often chaotic industry like cannabis, that kind of insight can feel invaluable.
But there are real risks.
- The biggest risk is confidentiality. A poorly handled back channel can unintentionally signal to a candidate’s current employer that they’re exploring other opportunities. At best, that creates an uncomfortable situation. At worst, it can jeopardize someone’s job.
- The second risk is accuracy. Cannabis still has a lot of immature management structures, and feedback is often subjective or emotionally driven. Statements like “they’re difficult” or “they’re quiet” are meaningless without context. What matters is performance.
If you’re going to rely on back-channel input, you need to dig deeper…
Questions to ask about a candidate:
- Were they successful in the role?
- Did they hit their metrics?
- Were there any formal disciplinary issues?
- How did they collaborate across teams?
- What do actual performance reviews say?
Without that level of rigor, you’re collecting opinions, not insights.
There’s also a broader reality to keep in mind: a company failing does not mean the people inside it failed. In cannabis, external factors like capital constraints, market timing, and flawed strategy often play a much bigger role than individual performance. Strong operators can, and do, come from struggling organizations.
Best practice for clients
Back-channel references should be a final check, not a decision-making engine.
If you’re using them to screen candidates early, you’re unnecessarily increasing risk. The better approach is:
- Decide you want to hire the candidate first
- Extend an offer contingent on references
- Then conduct any additional diligence thoughtfully
This protects confidentiality and ensures you’re not disqualifying strong candidates based on incomplete or biased information.
This is also where a partner like FlowerHire adds real value
FlowerHire brings structured insight, deep industry context, and a more objective lens to talent evaluation. Our role is to reduce noise, protect candidates, and help clients make confident decisions based on facts, not rumors.
The candidate perspective: How to navigate back channels
Candidates don’t control whether back-channel conversations happen, but they can control how prepared they are for them.
The first step is to assume they will happen.
That doesn’t mean you should be paranoid. It means you should be proactive. You should also practice succinct explanations and answers that are fact-based. Careers are very personal. And working in an industry like cannabis, you’re faced with many situations that are hard to explain and out of your control.
1. Provide references early
Don’t wait to be asked. Offering strong, relevant references upfront does two things:
- It builds trust with the hiring company
- It helps guide the narrative before informal conversations fill the gaps
Choose people who can speak specifically to your workplace performance, not just your personality. If you can provide a reference from a previous supervisor, that is the best reference, followed by a peer, as well as a subordinate. Three to four references is a good number to have.
2. Be honest about “weirdness”
Every career has bumps – short tenures, company failures, leadership conflicts, or roles that didn’t pan out because the company changed direction, especially in cannabis. Trying to hide those rarely works, especially in a tight-knit industry.
Instead, address them directly and frame them as learning experiences:
- What happened?
- What did you learn?
- How did it shape how you operate today?
Transparency builds credibility. And more importantly, it removes the risk of a back-channel “surprise” that undermines trust late in the process.
3. Stay positive
Be careful how you communicate about previous employers, owners, and founders. Sometimes things happen outside of our control, and it can be frustrating; however, you don’t want to appear jaded, no matter how bad a circumstance was.
Complaining about a previous employer is one of the biggest reasons why a candidate is a no after an interview that FlowerHire hears about.
4. Control the narrative
If there was an organization you worked at that experienced failure or may have had some known instability issues, get ahead of it.
- Practice a fact-based assessment of the issues surrounding the organization
- Talk about the strategies you worked on to right the ship.
- Talk about what you learned about what works and doesn’t work in the industry
Do your best to leave on good terms, to smooth it over.
- Were you pushing for accountability?
- Driving performance in a low-structure environment?
- Navigating a challenging leadership dynamic?
Context matters. Give it before someone else defines it for you.
5. Communicate confidentiality clearly
If you are currently employed, make it explicit that your search is confidential.
Most reputable companies will respect that. But you need to say it directly:
“I’m open to exploring this opportunity, but I need to keep my search confidential at this stage.”
This sets boundaries and signals professionalism.
The reality: This isn’t changing
Back-channel references are part of the cannabis hiring landscape. They’re not inherently good or bad. They’re simply a tool, and like any tool, their value depends on how they’re used.
For clients, the responsibility is to use them carefully, ethically, and not as a shortcut.
For candidates, the opportunity is to prepare, be transparent, and take control of their narrative.
When both sides approach the process thoughtfully, back channeling becomes less about risk and more about validation.
And that’s ultimately the goal: better decisions, stronger hires, and a more mature industry overall.