Blog Posts by Marci Alboher, Working the New Economy

Cali Yost: Photo by Doug Mott

As job losses continue to pile up, you'd think someone would be asking if layoffs are the only answer. Cali Yost, a workplace consultant and author, has been asking that question a lot lately (as have some others.) She has shown that that once you consider the direct and indirect costs of a layoff -- outplacement, unemployment benefits, re-hiring and training new employees, layoffs end up costing a company between 150 percent and 250 percent of an employee's salary and rarely improve financial results. And she is on a mission to convince employers to start thinking differently. Yost has been keeping a list of companies she calls Downsizing Flexibility Champions, which honors companies that have figured out alternatives to figure out alternatives to layoffs.

So what do you do if there's a whiff of layoffs in the air and you'd like to get your employer to start thinking like one of those champions on Yost's list? I spoke with her about how to get a conversation started about

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I just returned from a conference that was both stimulating and scary. At a gathering where premier journalists typically congregate to talk about craft and their commitment to accurately and artfully write and report true stories, most of the talk at the bar was about the carnage in the media industry. While I was there to speak about career advice, I wasn't immune to the concern. Last year I lost a regular gig blogging for the New York Times with very little notice.

But unlike most journalists who are panicking about what they'd do next if they lost a steady paycheck, I quickly replaced that work with high quality work that I enjoy--coaching other writers, teaching, and public speaking. As an experienced freelancer, I also knew how to find writing opportunities even in a shrinking market.

Way back in pre-recession 2007, I wrote a book about people who pursue multiple careers by choice. I call these folks "slashers" because--like me--they need a slash or two to define

NBC/Today ShowRecently, I was on the TODAY Show talking with David Gregory and Ann Hodgman, a 52-year-old "executive intern" at the website wowOwow.com. I've been recommending adult internships for ages to anyone who is thinking of changing careers, looking for on-the-job experience, or hoping to network their way into a new position. But these internships have some fundamental differences from the classic internship being done by a college student or recent grad. Here's why:

1. Often it's the individual, not the employer, who proposes an adult internship, and there probably isn't an intermediary like a university making the match. So if you're interested in crafting an internship, it's up to you to identify the right organization and decide how to approach the subject. When you do, tout the experience you can bring to the organization, your hunger to learn, and the fact that the organization has little to lose by taking a chance on you.

2. These are customized arrangements so every deal will be