“Hi, I’m Jack the Entertainer!” a cheery voice squealed from behind a rainbow-coloured wig, layers of face paint and a full clown costume, extending a pale hand that looked comically human compared to the rest of his ensemble.

The fat businessman-looking executive dressed in a suit and tie stood up from behind his mahogany desk and shook the limp hand, before asking: “So what makes you want to join Cirque du Soleis, Jack the Entertainer?”

“I… I… think I can bring a lot of value to the team and… entertain the audience with all the tricks I have,” Jack stammered.

The circus manager didn’t seem too impressed by this nothingburger of an answer. Let’s see what act he’s prepared for us, he thought to himself. Hopefully it was better than his verbal interview skills.

“Go ahead and show us what you’ve got then,” he said.

Jack the Entertainer’s routine turned out to be a disaster — it was a mixture of poor juggling, shaky unicycle riding and timid fire breathing, with some awkward dancing spiced in occasionally. It was obvious he had no talent at all and despite his stage name, it was by no means entertaining. Worst of all, it reeked of a desperation to please while somehow simultaneously lacking in confidence.

As the manager gave a polite round of applause, he could see a nervous look of uncertainty in Jack’s eyes, hungry for any modicum of approval for his hodgepodge performance. He paused for a moment, searching for the right words to softly let Jack down without crushing his dreams.

“That was certainly something,” he eventually settled on. “We’ll deliberate on it and let you know later if you get the gig. Thanks for coming in.”

As Jack the Entertainer walked out of the audition room, the faint trace of a smile crept across his face, oblivious to the reality of the situation.