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<\/a>Marijuana-industry experience \u201cis not something that would be in our (management) assortment anytime soon,\u201d says Brian Cornell, chief executive of\u00a0Target<\/a>\u00a0Corp.<\/span>\u00a0\u201cWe have to be thoughtful about who we recruit,\u201d because decisions must match the retailer\u2019s family values, he adds.<\/p>\nWould Mr. Cornell ever hire an executive with marijuana company experience? \u201cI\u2019d probably think long and hard about it,\u201d the Target leader replies.<\/p>\n
Offbeat businesses often attract ambitious people eager to make their mark in a burgeoning field. But a senior manager\u2019s stint at a pot grower, vendor of intimacy aids or personal matchmaking service could become a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 black mark unless the role delivers highly valued expertise, executive recruiters and leadership coaches say.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be career consequences from going to an offbeat company,\u201d warns Jane S. Howze, a managing director for The Alexander Group, an executive-search firm. \u201cRecruiters and employers will look at your impact there and whether you previously worked for a more conventional business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been challenging hiring C-suite talent,\u201d says Derek Peterson, chief executive of publicly held\u00a0Terra Tech<\/a>\u00a0Corp.<\/span>\u00a0, which grows and sells marijuana for legal medical use in several states. He cautions management prospects that banks may close their accounts or reject mortgage applications because marijuana violates U.S. law.<\/p>\n \u201cThe people you end up with as executives are people truly willing to take a risk,\u201d Mr. Peterson observes.<\/p>\n Mike James says he worried about the possibility of harming his career before he left his top management role at a nutritional-supplements firm to join Terra Tech\u2019s predecessor in 2010. So, he kept working for his old employer during four years as the part-time chief financial officer of his new employer.<\/p>\n Thirty states and Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana for at least medicinal use, but the U.S. government still considers it an illegal and dangerous drug. U.S. sales of legal marijuana should reach $19 billion by 2021, up from $5.9 billion last year, predicts Arcview Group, a marijuana investment and research firm.<\/p>\n Mr. James, now Terra Tech\u2019s full-time CFO, thinks most conventional companies would employ him in the future. But \u201cI will not be applying for a job at Target,\u201d he vows.<\/p>\n During their next job search, executives of an offbeat company should tout their transferable skills such as a record of innovation, career advisers suggest. \u201cIt is absolutely about the leader\u2019s personal brand, not the industry\u2019s brand,\u201d says Elaine Varelas, managing partner at Keystone Partners, a career transition and leadership-development firm.<\/p>\n This approach succeeded several years ago when a female executive left Playboy Enterprises Inc., famous for nude photos. She says she emphasized her team-building skills at the well-known entertainment business. \u201cFind that positive spin,\u201d she recommends.<\/p>\n The executive soon got hired by a professional-services firm. \u201cThey thought it was really cool that I had worked for Playboy,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n Chris Postler also hesitated to join an edgy business. Nearly four years ago, Pure Romance LLC wooed the bank financial analyst for a middle-management position. The Cincinnati firm uses a predominantly female independent sales force to sell \u201crelationship enhancement products\u201d for women.<\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/ivyrelations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/pexels-photo.jpg\")
<\/a>Marijuana growers frequently confront this dilemma in their recruiting efforts.<\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/ivyrelations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/pexels-photo-429248.jpeg\")
<\/a>Many executives with Wall Street backgrounds move into the marijuana business \u201cbecause they can see the growth trajectory,\u201d says Troy Dayton, Arcview\u2019s CEO.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>In Mr. Postler\u2019s Catholic family, such wares \u201chad been taboo for a long time,\u201d he says. He turned down Pure Romance\u2019s offer four times.<\/p>\n