Finding Your Fit: How to Identify Target Companies in Your Job Search
๐ฆ๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฒ๐. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฑ.
A VP of Marketing came to me exhausted. Spreadsheets full of applications. Zero callbacks.
"I've applied everywhere," she told me. "ConAgra, Unilever, Nestlé, you name it."
I asked her one question: "Which company's problem do you actually solve?"
Silence.
She was throwing spaghetti at the wall. Playing the numbers game. Hoping something would stick.
Sound familiar?
Most CPGers treat job searching like a volume sport. More applications = better odds, right?
Wrong.
๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐'๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ
Target companies aren't dream employers. They're not the brands you grew up loving or the names that impress at dinner parties.
They're companies that desperately need the specific problems you solve.
My client had been asking all the wrong questions:
- "Are they hiring?"
- "Do they pay well?"
- "Is it a good brand name?"
We replaced them with better ones:
- "What's broken that I know how to fix?"
- "Where would my expertise create immediate impact?"
- "Which companies are struggling with challenges I've already conquered?"
She was brilliant at turning around declining brands. That was her superpower.
So we found 5 CPG companies with struggling portfolios.
Not 50. Five.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐
Here's exactly what we did:
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ 1: ๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ
We spent two hours dissecting her wins. Not her responsibilities. Her actual wins.
- Turned around a declining cereal brand at Kellogg's
- Saved a $30M snack portfolio from delisting at Target
- Built a innovation pipeline that delivered 3 years of growth
The pattern? She fixed broken things. Fast.
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ 2: ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ
We didn't browse job boards. We researched earnings calls, trade publications, and industry reports.
Found 5 companies with public struggles:
- A natural foods company with 3 quarters of decline
- A snack brand losing shelf space to private label
- A beverage company with innovation failures
- Two legacy brands getting crushed by startups
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ 3: ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
Not HR. Not talent acquisition. The actual leaders feeling the pain.
She found VPs of Marketing, CMOs, and Brand Presidents on LinkedIn. Read their posts. Understood their challenges.
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ 4: ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ข๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ-๐ฆ๐ผ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐ฏ-๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ
Her message wasn't "I'm looking for opportunities."
It was:
"I noticed your snack portfolio is down 12% YOY. I turned around a similar situation at Kellogg's—grew share 8 points in 18 months. Would love to share what worked."
๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐ง๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ. ๐ข๐ป๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ.
Not because she was looking for a job. Because she was solving their problem.
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด
When you target 50 companies, you're generic by necessity. Your resume becomes vanilla. Your outreach sounds desperate.
When you target 5, everything changes:
- You know their specific challenges
- You speak their language
- You reference their actual business issues
- You position yourself as the solution, not another applicant
One CMO told her: "We get 200 applications a week. You're the first person who understood what we actually need."
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ง๐ฟ๐๐๐ต ๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฒ๐
Target companies aren't about where you want to work.
They're about where your skills create the most value.
I've seen Category Managers waste months applying to "cool" startups when their superpower is managing complex retailer relationships—something only mature CPG companies need.
I've watched Innovation Directors chase stable corporations when their genius is building something from nothing—exactly what struggling brands desperately need.
Stop asking: "Will they hire me?"
Start asking: "Can I fix what's broken?"
When you shift from applicant to problem-solver, that's when everything changes.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐
๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต What You Do
- What problems have you repeatedly solved?
- What do colleagues always ask your help with?
- What achievements are you most proud of?
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐
- Read industry trades (Food Business News, BevNET, Progressive Grocer)
- Follow earnings calls
- Watch for leadership changes (new leaders = new priorities)
- Monitor LinkedIn for companies posting about challenges
๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ
Don't target "CPG companies."
Target "Mid-size CPG companies struggling with Amazon strategy."
Target "Natural brands trying to scale into conventional retail."
Target "Legacy brands losing share to private label."
๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ 5-๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ
Pick 5 companies. Not 50. Five.
Companies that need exactly what you do best.
Research them like you're preparing for a category review. Know their challenges better than they do.
Then stop applying and start solving.
Reach out with insights, not applications. Share ideas, not resumes. Solve problems, not fill positions.
Because here's what nobody tells you: Companies don't hire people who need jobs. They hire people who solve problems.
What problems do you solve that companies desperately need?
The CPG Job Search Playbook is designed specifically for high performers who want to create the next step in their career. You’ll get practical strategy, clear positioning guidance, and a steady plan that keeps your confidence intact while opening new doors. And if you’re craving ongoing support and connection, the CPG Mentor Community gives you a space to stay grounded, sharpen your approach, and learn alongside others navigating the same path. If either feels like the right next step, I’d love to share more.
