Finding Your Fit: How to Identify Target Companies in Your Job Search
𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝟱𝟬 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟱.
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.
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗲
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.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀
Here's exactly what we did:
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 1: 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿
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.
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 2: 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺
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
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 3: 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀
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.
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 4: 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺-𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯-𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿
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."
𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿.
Not because she was looking for a job. Because she was solving their problem.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴
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."
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀
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.
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁
𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 What You Do
- What problems have you repeatedly solved?
- What do colleagues always ask your help with?
- What achievements are you most proud of?
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁
- 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
𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰
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."
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 5-𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲
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.
