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Julia Ivy, a Northeastern expert on “boutique employability,” says the vice president needs to find her “edge” by leaning into her unique skills and experiences.
Running for president of the United States is like interviewing for any important job, a Northeastern University expert says.
Above all else, you must distinguish yourself from the competition by emphasizing your unique skills and experiences — and not try to fit a given profile.
Julia Ivy, a professor of international business and strategy at Northeastern University, calls this finding your edge, or “boutique employability.”
Ivy says Vice President Kamala Harris would be smart to use this strategy if she wants to defeat former President Donald Trump.
“She must play her own game,” Ivy says.
Whether a candidate is vying for the Oval Office or a corner office, landing your dream job has changed, according to Ivy, author of “Crafting Your Edge for Today’s Job Market.”
A traditional approach that career counselors still use is to advise their clients to “fit” a given profile, Ivy says.
In this case, president of the United States.
In the traditional sense, a president must have a specific list of qualifications — a certain look, level of education, experience, knowledge and skills.
“I would say she [Harris] is in a losing position from a traditional point of view,” Ivy says. “If she’s trying to be a good ‘fit’ for the president, she’s going to lose because our minds believe that this is still a man’s role.”
Hillary Clinton made this mistake eight years ago, Ivy says, by trying to be presidential in a traditional way.
The traditional approach of trying to convince an employer — in this case the American public — that you’re the right person for a job is becoming obsolete, Ivy says.
Instead, she says, a candidate should use the “boutique employability approach” — pitch oneself emphasizing unique skills and experiences that come from “accumulated personal, social or professional capital.”
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Professional capital, she says, is one’s education and work experience. Social capital is interpersonal relationships and social networks — in Harris’ case, who supports her donors and supporters. Personal capital includes a person’s traits and abilities.
The “boutique employability approach” helped Trump win the White House in 2016.
Trump acted as though he was invincible, spoke his mind and attacked his rivals.
He had found his edge, Ivy says.
“He just said, ‘I don’t like your game. I am me,’” she says.
If a person wants a job — president or otherwise, Ivy says — they must believe they are the No. 1 person for the job.
“It is kind of arrogant, but at the same time [this job] is a huge responsibility,” she says.
Harris has been in President Joe Biden’s shadow for the last four years, Ivy says, and would be smart to separate herself and begin to speak as if she is in charge — on issues, including international relations, crime and the economy.
She should confidently select her running mate, not one hand-picked by the Democratic Party, Ivy says.
She also recommends Harris deploy her own personal capital and find a signature way of communicating that is appealing to voters.
Many successful presidential candidates have done this, Ivy says.
“For example, George W. Bush had his small jokes, this Texas kind of jokes, and he knew when to use them,” she says.
To create her unique “edge,” Harris should establish three strong unique qualities. For example, Ivy says that she has been a prosecutor, has executive leadership and is a strong woman of color.
“If I were her coach, I would say, ‘Don’t talk about Trump. Don’t talk about Biden. Talk about yourself,’” Ivy says. “You must be number one, and you must show that ‘I’m not going to excuse, or praise, or beat, or fight. It is me and I am competing with myself.’”