So I had every intention of just 'running in' to Publix yesterday for a few things when I was quickly stopped by the 'sample guy'. I wasn't interested in what he had to offer, some gooey pie that didn't involve chocolate so it was quickly deemed as a waste of my time. However, I knew this man. He usually works in the deli. I wondered if he got a promotion to the sample cart and wanted to know more.

I decided to act interested and struck up a conversation. I wanted to know why he worked at Publix. He didn't look the part. His coworkers seemed to be high school or college kids or 30-40 somethings wearing suits and ties and were obviously management.

To my surprise, this man had 30+ years of experience with a household named Fortune 500 company before being laid off at the age of 54. With a nice severance package and benefits for life, he felt convicted in his decision to take a job at the local grocery store. He did however, try to find another position in corporate america. He went on to say that recruiters aren't high on hiring 50+ people simply because they cost too much, need too much technology training and won't be there very long with retirement age looming. He went on interview after interview. He was qualified for every one of them. But was repeatedly told that 'another candidate was chosen'. After being let down over and over, he thought long and hard about how he could utilize his people skills, negotiation skills, sales skills, presentation skills-and it quickly dawned on him. The grocery store.

When he went in and applied, he was fully prepared to answer the obvious question. Why someone as young as him (not retirement age) was applying for a job? He thought about having fun with them and telling the recruiter that he was independently wealthy or he's always aspired to work there but they didn't even allude to wanting know why. Instead, they asked him "how do you think you can contribute to our success'' and " where do you see yourself making a difference in the store" and "when can you start".

After a few months, he asked the recruiter "why did you hire me?" The recruiter quickly answered back, "because of your wealth of experience working with people, ability to sell and exceed expectations." The recruiter went on to say that she was happy she hired him because of his dependability and work ethic.

This man loves his job. It's clear as day. He knows he can provide his work experiences at a place that nurtures career pathing and personal goals. They are open to his ideas. He has more experience managing people and businesses than the General Manager of the store. He's the secret weapon, even if he is only working the sample cart. He says it's an easy sale because people don't just come into a grocery store to peruse around, you know they are there to buy something but it's his job to help them make a smart purchase.

There's a message here. If 50+ candidates are actually being discriminating against, then it seems that companies are only selling themselves short. Even if this 54 year old man was hired into another organization and stayed for only 8 years until he retired, that would be 8 years of a quality employee contributing to success.

Seems like the retail industry is reaping the benefits of this trend. With companies like The Home Depot, Lowe's, Publix, Winn-Dixie and other stores across America just like them obviously taking advantage of these candidates, I am curious to know how it's impacted their bottom line. I'll be honest, when I walk into The Home Depot and I want to know where something is, I will ask anyone who's around. But if I want advice on something I'll target my question to a 50+ employee. There's a comfort in knowing that this individual has lived life, probably already completed the project I'm about to do and can offer answers to life's simplest questions.

These individuals can relate. It's a skill that you can't put a price on but only capitalize from it.

I find myself constantly thinking..."how did I end up doing what I'm doing? Is this my passion?"

Gen Y’s are by far the most passionate generation. They have been shaped by so many events. Although other generations have their timeline of catastrophe and greatness, Gen Y had a closer view which impacted them in a way that no other generation has experienced. From a young age, they were up close and personal watching events unfold on television, researching online and receiving influence from all media directions. It was this exposure that ignited such strong passionate feelings within these individuals as well as a high comfort level of expression.

Gen Y’s are outspoken, firm in their beliefs and not afraid to speak their minds. This level of passion has shaped the way they view work, home life and relationships. Boomers and Gen X have been quoted as saying that Gen Y is disrespectful and has a sense of self-entitlement. I think these are just misinterpretations of their level of passion.

Passion is also something you discover and develop. I became passionate about HR Communications. Before accepting my current role, I did a self-test to see if this is something I truly believe in and can be passionate about. I would venture to say this is the way most Gen Y's choose their next career move. I hope it's the way that future generations will shape theirs. If I didn't develop a passion for this, you can bet I'd be doing something else. I think this is why we see Gen Y's changing careers quickly. It's not because they are motivated by more money, that certainly helps, but I don't think it's the real reason. If Gen Y's can't find their passion in what they're doing, they are not afraid to jump ship.

So when you are recruiting Gen Y’s, I think it is important to understand and embrace their passion, not misread it as self-entitlement. The more you nurture their passion, the more they’ll love you.

Gen Y's passion is changing the precedence of the world. Other generations may not understand it, but they should accept it and be envious.

In reading about different organizations’ Job Rotation Programs, like Johnson & Johnson and Intuit for example, it is funny to me that they are only offering Job Rotation programs for recent college grads.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great tool for people just entering their careers to help them determine what they want to do, but what about all of the other employees who sit complacent in their current role or those who’ve left the organization in search of something new, different and exciting?

Common sense would tell me if they participated in the company’s Job Rotation Program, they probably would have stayed. For the complacent ones, they’d probably be happier and/or more productive. This is assuming their company has a Job Rotation Program.

Which leads me to another question, why wouldn’t organizations who spend so much money on recruiting top talent or any talent for that matter, NOT have a job rotation program? Again, common sense would tell me that this would be a win-win retention tool.

Now, I understand that there are jobs like neurosurgeons, attorneys, CPAs, etc that can’t necessarily swap positions at the drop of a hat, but for other positions like production line workers, administrative staff, marketing specialists, HR generalists, account managers, etc, that could very well try out something else and their skills and knowledge could easily transfer.

Back to my original point—shouldn’t Job Rotation Programs be offered to ALL employees? Not just the recent college grads?

I think Gen X and Boomers would be most appreciative for an opportunity to move into another function within the organization if they feel stale in their current role.

Do companies offer this? I haven’t found one yet…enlighten me please.

No doubt either you or someone you know is on Myspace, Facebook and/or LinkedIn, especially if you are part of Gen X and Y.

No doubt recruiters are checking these sites to inspect candidates.

But should users have to take precaution with what they put on their profiles just in case a recruiter sees it? I would say no and here's why.

Social Networking Websites are the epitome of the First Amendment. They are a way to keep in touch with family, friends, coworkers and even clients. These sites offer an open forum for people to express themselves and create profiles which reflect their personality. 

Recruiters are tasked with hiring talent that is not only qualified for the job but will also be a good fit within the organization including sharing the same ideals, goals and values as the company.

If a recruiter is going to check out a candidate’s profile on these sites, then they should be prepared to see who the candidate really is in real life.

By no means am I implying that the information on a candidate’s profile should sway the recruiter’s decision. If they are going to check out the profile, then the recruiter needs to be competent enough to know where to draw the line when making inferences.

I don't put anything on my Myspace or Facebook that is offensive or disturbing. In fact, I want to make sure that my profiles are a true representation of my personality and personal brand. I’m not going to leave out a photo of me having fun last Saturday night. I want the recruiter to see that I like to have fun.

I think it is up to the recruiter to determine whether or not they should go down that road –seems to me like it would be stepping into dangerous territory. Where do the EEO laws kick in with regards to seeing a candidate’s age, sex, race or sexual orientation on their profiles and how recruiters will keep that out of the decision making process.

Have your organizations put guidelines in place to govern this? How do they monitor this? As a recruiter, are you blocked from going to Myspace or Facebook? How do they know you don’t do it at home?