The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO) has announced an unusual recruitment campaign, deciding to move away from the traditional image of a secret agent. Instead of individuals resembling James Bond, the agency is looking for ordinary citizens who can remain unnoticed, easily communicate with strangers, and blend into the crowd, [reports](https://nos.nl/artikel/2622786-finse-geheime-dienst-zoekt-gewone-burgers-juist-geen-james-bond-types) NOS. "Even if you are already of age, you can become an excellent secret agent. The main thing is to be able to be part of the environment, have good communication skills, and easily establish contact with people," said Pekka Hiltunen, head of one of the divisions of the Finnish intelligence service. The agency's headquarters is located in the center of Helsinki in an inconspicuous small building without a sign. This is where candidates who have passed the first selection stage are invited. According to Hiltunen, the current open recruitment campaign is part of a new strategy for the agency. "We consider it our duty, as much as possible, to explain to people who we are and what we do. At the same time, we hope that someone will think about working with us," he noted. There has been no shortage of interest: nearly three thousand Finns applied for jobs in the intelligence service. Moreover, this had to be done in an unusual way — by sending documents in a paper envelope to avoid leaving digital traces. In addition to a detailed questionnaire, candidates were required to attach a flash drive with a video in which they talk about their own awkward social situation and analyze it. "For a secret agent, the ability for self-analysis is very important. We are interested in understanding what a person considers a social mistake and what conclusions they have drawn from it. This helps to avoid similar situations and makes it easier to establish contact with unfamiliar people," Hiltunen explained. Just a few decades ago, such an open campaign would have been unimaginable. During the Cold War, Finland, situated between East and West, tried not to provoke the Soviet Union. Finnish counterintelligence was severely limited in its capabilities and could essentially only observe the activities of foreign intelligence services. As noted by Siikku Saari, an expert at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), Helsinki had long been one of the centers of international espionage: large diplomatic missions of the US and USSR were nearby, but Finnish intelligence services were not allowed to actively counter foreign agents. The situation began to change after the war in Georgia in 2008 and the annexation of Crimea in 2014. An additional factor was the lengthy — over 1300 kilometers — border of Finland with Russia. In 2019, Parliament expanded the powers of the intelligence service, and after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Finland's accession to NATO a year later, the agency gained even more capabilities. The campaign to find new agents has become part of these changes. At the same time, the intelligence service emphasizes that there are virtually no age restrictions. According to Hiltunen, even people over 80 years old can become successful agents. Knowledge of the Russian or Chinese language will be an additional advantage for candidates. "We are not looking for desperate daredevils. A person resembling James Bond will not, by definition, make a good secret agent," says Hiltunen. However, he admits that he himself enjoys films about the famous British spy. "I have always dreamed of riding in a speedboat while everything explodes behind me. Although I fully understand that in real life, this is practically impossible," added the head of the Finnish intelligence division with a smile. Such an unusual approach has already generated significant interest among the residents of Finland. The intelligence service hopes that the open campaign will attract people of various ages and professions — precisely those who can remain unnoticed and work effectively where the bright heroes of action films would be too conspicuous.