Competency trap skews recruitment

I write with reference to Richard Goff’s blog “The death of core skills” ( PM online, 28 September ), in which he highlights “same old, same old” hiring policies.As someone who has coached several senior executives who have undergone a career transition, my own observation is that, during this recession, recruiters have become considerably more conservative towards candidates. Faced with a surfeit of applicants, many recruiters specify that only candidates closely matching their requirements will be considered.