As they launch a recruitment drive to coincide with the release of the new Bond film Spectre, MI6 have said they would not hire James Bond if he applied to work for the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) today. It’s not because of his alcoholism, or because of his pathological romantic life, not even because he is a globally recognised individual these days and would surely struggle to maintain a cover story.
No, they wouldn’t hire him because of his lack of “emotional intelligence” they say.
“James Bond would probably not be successful in joining SIS, if he were to apply,” an intelligence source told BuzzFeed. “Teamwork is central to SIS’ ability to deliver intelligence, and heroes working alone rarely achieve much.”
While the debonair spy may be a great marketing tool to promote the SIS, it seems that when it comes to recruits these days, the agency is much more interested in sociable spies who understand the human side of working in the intelligence community.
By comparison, Bond prefers to work alone, usually finding a stunning amazonian to accompany him on his missions rather than any kind of support team outside of his coterie of gadgets and an Aston Martin.
With little regard for the law outside his own interpretation and enforcement of it, and described by Daniel Craig who plays him as a lonely misogynist, Bond is a relic of a bygone era. His expertise in assassination and cold war intrigue no longer prized by an intelligence community increasingly relying on gathering information digitally, his larger than life antics nevertheless remaining highly appealing to cinema audiences, if not to spy recruiters.
“Having a high degree of emotional intelligence is every bit as important to SIS as educational attainment,” the source added. “They want people with a real passion for human interaction, understanding others and dealing with the sometimes complex nature of human relationships.”
Spectre will hit theaters in the US on November 6th and in Australia on the November 12th having already been released in the UK last week, but you can check out the ad posted by MI6 as part of their recruitment campaign here below.
