A local careers service has introduced a new screening step it says will make recruitment ‘fairer, faster, and more human’: the Enthusiasm Interview, a short call in which applicants are assessed entirely on how upbeat they sound while saying absolutely nothing useful.
The service described the change as an innovation in modern employability. Rather than examining work history, skills, or references, advisers now record a two-minute audio clip and feed it into a system that generates a single number known internally as the Smile Score. A spokesperson said the score captures the qualities employers really want: confidence, positivity, and the ability to sound convinced you are thriving while standing in a corridor holding a damp umbrella.
The interview begins with a friendly prompt: ‘Tell us about yourself.’ Applicants are advised to keep their answer short, energetic, and free of specific nouns that might slow the momentum. If a caller mentions a gap in employment, the system politely asks them to rephrase it as a ‘growth arc’ and to say the words ‘exciting opportunity’ at least once for calibration.
Guidance notes provided to staff stress that this is not about discrimination. ‘We treat everyone equally,’ the notes say, ‘by assuming the same baseline of boundless enthusiasm regardless of rent, commuting, childcare, or the general state of February.’ A separate section explains that speaking calmly is permitted as long as it sounds like a choice rather than a symptom.
Once a Smile Score is produced, applicants are placed into one of three helpful pathways: Ready, Nearly Ready, and Emotionally Untidy. Those in the final group are offered a new online course titled ‘Tone Management For People With Bills,’ featuring modules on smiling while typing and replacing the word ‘concerned’ with ‘eager’.
Employers participating in the pilot praised the approach for reducing paperwork. ‘We used to read applications,’ one manager said. ‘Now we just listen for that bright sound that suggests someone will apologise for problems before we have to create them.’ The manager confirmed the only required qualification is the ability to remain cheerful while being told the role is ‘very busy’ in a way that sounds like a warning.
The system has also introduced an appeals process. Applicants who feel their score does not reflect their capabilities can request a reassessment, provided they do so in a tone that demonstrates gratitude for the opportunity to be reassessed. The service said this safeguards accountability while keeping the overall mood ‘constructive’.
Officials said the Enthusiasm Interview is a temporary measure and will be reviewed after a full year of data has been collected, or earlier if anyone can find the time between motivational breathing exercises.
