Networking & Visibility
How do I contact a CPG decision-maker before a role is posted?
Lead with relevant business context, a concise value connection, and a modest request for conversation.
Lead with relevant business context, a concise value connection, and a modest request for conversation.
Many experienced candidates wait for a job posting before approaching the people closest to the business need. By then, the company may already have an internal candidate, a referral pool, or a narrow view of the role. Thoughtful outreach can begin earlier—without pretending that every message should create a job.
Earn the relevance of the message
Identify a company initiative, customer challenge, portfolio shift, leadership change, or public priority connected to work you understand. Then learn enough to form a useful question or perspective.
The strongest opening explains why this person and why now. It does not begin with a full career history or a request to review your résumé.
Use a simple four-part structure
Connect the message to something specific you noticed. Briefly establish the relevant experience you bring. Explain what interests you about their situation. Then ask for a short conversation with a clear purpose.
For example: you may reference a retailer expansion, connect it to a similar commercialization challenge you led, and ask how the team is thinking about the next phase. Keep the language natural enough that you could say it aloud.
Measure learning as well as replies
Track which business issues, introductions, and messages create response. Use that evidence to improve your positioning and your target list.
One respectful follow-up is reasonable. If there is no response, continue building the relationship elsewhere rather than turning one person into a status checkpoint for your search.
Why this matters in a CPG career
The CPG industry is deeply connected, but useful relationships are not built through generic outreach. They grow through informed curiosity, remembered context, relevant introductions, and thoughtful contribution. The goal is not to collect contacts. It is to become easier to understand, trust, remember, and recommend.
Questions worth answering
- What did I learn about this person that should shape the next conversation?
- What can I contribute that would be genuinely useful without forcing a transaction?
- Is my direction clear enough for someone else to recognize a relevant opportunity?
Choose one relationship you want to continue. Send something useful that connects directly to your previous conversation, then note the next natural reason to reconnect.