I'm not even considering what these applicants think about themselves. I'm applying my own judgement from working with, for, and adjacent to these people for over 20 years. I've seen them in good times and in bad times. At least one of them I kinda sorta caused some of their bad times (on purpose, long story no plot), and I made up my own mind on what kinds of people they are.

I don't recommend or even talk about the jerks I worked with and wouldn't want to sit next to on a trip of any length. Most people I worked with were great and I'd be happy to work with them again, so that doesn't come up very often at all. What does surprise me is when someone has literally everything going for them, and they can't even get an interview. They've got the hours. They're current. They have "real world experience" over decades of flying. They have spotless checkride and safety records. They've been recognized by previous employers as worthy of leadership roles. They have peers who will vouch for their credibility and character. And they're passed over to give interviews to people with under 3k hours on the basis of "more qualified". That is confusing and concerning. And none of it has anything to do with what those candidates personally feel about their own leadership qualities, because that kind of thing tends to come out in the interview, not in the application.