From Martinis To Red Bull

The same week the recruitment of a newer, hipper James Bond (British actor Daniel Craig) was proclaimed to a waiting world, the real-life equivalents of 007's bosses unveiled a newer, hipper way of finding their own recruits. Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (sis), informally known as MI6 — whose existence was not even officially confirmed until 1994 — vaulted into the 21st century by uncorking its own website (www.sis.gov.uk), which endorses workplace diversity, extols a "'family' atmosphere," and contains profiles of (possibly) serving officers with names like Afzal and Angharad. "sis has the image of an organization that taps people on the shoulder and invites them in," says one British official, "which may be cramping its style. It may not be seeing the full range of quality out there."

Talent is one thing sis definitely needs. An inquiry after the Iraq war showed it had few sources in the country and assessed them poorly, helping to boost Prime Minister Tony Blair's false confidence about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. The foreign links of homegrown terrorists, like the alleged attackers of London's transport system last July, add a new level of complexity to the threats it must counter. So like Britain's domestic security service, MI5, sis is growing — "currently recruiting at all levels," says the website — and seeking chaps (and chapettes) who might not share Bond's tailor.

Who should apply? Linguists, electronics experts, administrators and potential field operators — "people keen to make a difference doing work of national importance." The portraits of serving agent-runners include "Andrew," who was "bored" after six years in management consulting and gets "a real buzz" from spying, and 27-year-old "Naheed," a lawyer whose family emigrated from Kenya in the 1970s and wanted to "develop my interest in international relations." The site shows sis is learning from its enemies, too. Just as al-Qaeda uses the Web to cast for foreign talent, the sis site is also in French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic.