When people tell me that they're creative in some way, I'm going to follow the path of my mentors and start asking "Are you good?"
It's a quick way for me to evaluate whether or not people are self-aware and taking what they're doing seriously.
@TheresaVermont The question is more about the way a person answers than any subjective definition of "good."
I am in several creative fields, where I need some quick ways to evaluate what level of contribution I can expect from people, or conversely what I can offer them.
I've realised this question helps provide some insight.
@sumpnlikefaith Interesting. I don't know your field; I worked in IT. I've interviewed hundreds of candidates. I don't know what it's like in your field. I learned early on that women, particularly foreign born women, vastly underestimated their personal skills. Do you encounter any gender or ethnic differences?
@sumpnlikefaith One way I'd see it - I'd ask a man and a woman the same question, a hypothetical impossible to know because no one had done it - A how would you go about..... The men would dive into the answer. The women would start with "I've never done that before, but..." then follow with the same quality response. Men overstated resume experience, women understated.
@TheresaVermont Yes, good point. I treat this with a different sensitivity based on gender -- this isn't a face-value kind of question.
In related news, I've encountered enough masculine overconfidence to last me a lifetime. :-/
@sumpnlikefaith Chuckle "masculine overconfidence" - I saw a lot of this in my IT career and it got worse when gaming got huge. I think some felt they had to demonstrate some bravado.
@sumpnlikefaith Why does one have to be good?