Getting an actual interview in our current job market is a feat in and of itself, but now if you actually land one you have to contend with literal tests and tricks that hiring managers and bosses think are really clever but the rest of us are just sick and tired of.

Case in point: If you’re not ready to humble brag about yourself in a job interview, one CEO is ready to move onto the next candidate. But, by insisting on only hiring the most confident employees, isn’t he missing out on other qualified candidates?

A CEO said he asks one very important question in interviews that candidates must answer a certain way in order to be successful.

Stephen Smith, a one-time champion bodybuilder and entrepreneur, is known for his ventures as CEO of Planet Beach and Hotworx. Planet Beach is a now-defunct tanning salon chain, while Hotworx is a set of fitness franchises. Smith was recently interviewed by Carl Stoffersthe senior business editor at Entrepreneur.

When Stoffers asked Smith what the hardest part of growing Hotworx is, he had some interesting insight to share. He began by saying that the hardest part was definitely finding employees right for leadership positions.

Tima Miroshnichenko | Pexels

“It’s leadership at the unit level — finding the right location managers,” he explained. “The last two or three years have been tough to recruit talent. They don’t have to be an all-star gymnast or former NFL player, but they need the athletic mentality, an attitude of being hungry to succeed.”

Apparently, for Smith, having that hunger means you are completely confident in your abilities and not afraid to say so. He continued, “One of my favorite questions to ask candidates is to rate their work ethic on a scale of one to 10. If they don’t say, ‘I’m a 10,’ it’s a no.” According to Smith, candidates that own up to anything less than 100% confidence in themselves and their attitude towards work are not worth taking a second look at.

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Self-confidence is generally considered a good quality in a potential hire.

At surface level, Smith’s thinking appears very reasonable. Why would anyone want to hire someone whose work ethic is less than a 10? Other experts agree that confidence is key.

Natalie Fisher, CEO of Natalie Fisher Coaching, discussed the difference between confidence and self-confidence and why you need the latter to ace an interview. “Confidence is drawing upon something you’ve done before,” she said. “And self-confidence is your ability to believe that you can figure things out that you have never done before, which you have also done in a lot of instances in your life.”

Fisher said self-confidence is essential for job interviews because there’s a good chance you won’t have every qualification or piece of experience they’re asking for.

This is the kind of confidence that is required to say that you are a 10 out of 10 when it comes to work ethic. Some hard workers surely do think they are 10s when it comes to work ethic, but other people probably just don’t have the confidence to believe that it’s true.

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When you look at the situation more deeply, problems arise.

What Smith’s question does not take into account is the truly humble — the people who either believe no one’s work ethic could possibly be at a perfect 10, or who think theirs is, but would never own up to it.

Tima Miroshnichenko | Pexels

Tiara Blain, MA, said“It is important to stay humble, or in some cases be humbled, because having humility not only helps you develop a more kind approach to interacting with others but also influences how you perceive yourself and the world around you.” While being humble may not be a highly prized attribute, Blain argued it was underrated.

It’s up to each person to decide whether they will lean more into humility or confidence and claim to have the work ethic of a 10. It may be good for leaders like Smith to take into account that some people may just simply not be comfortable describing themselves as being a 10. At the same time, candidates also have to remember to present themselves well.

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.