The number of at-home dads has grown to record levels in the wake of the recession. Many are trying to battle their way back into the workforce.

Outnumbered 5 to 1 by at-home moms, men who stay home with the kids face a bigger stigma among employers when they try to return to the workforce, and they have fewer opportunities to network from home. Also, they are returning to a labor market where men have suffered major setbacks; heavy job losses in male-dominated industries and middle management have led pundits to label the latest downturn the 'he-cession.'

From job-seeking dads I interviewed, I gathered some tips from the front lines:

* Keep your foot in the door. An at-home dad in Columbia, S.C., worked weekend nights throughout his two-year career break at home to take care of his son. Giving up date nights with his wife was no fun, he admits; she stayed home with their toddler while he worked. The payoff: He landed a full-time job at the same employer, a TV station, last January.

* Practice a smooth way to keep interviewers focused on your career skills. Some of the men I interviewed were dismayed when, after finally landing an interview, all the interviewer wanted to talk about was how lucky they were to have had time at home with their child or children. While they delighted in their children, they didn't want their job interviews to focus on that. Career coaches advise explaining swiftly and confidently why you stayed home for a while, describing your bulletproof child-care plans, then re-focusing the conversation on how well-suited you are for the job.

* Keep describing yourself using your professional or business credentials. A Virginia architect who managed to return to work after 11 years away says he told everyone he met, from friends and neighbors to co-workers on communityprojects, that he was an architect, not a stay-at-home dad. Keeping up this professionalidentity helped him establish an architectural practice at home, which in turn helped him land a job with a firm later.

* No networking opportunity is too small. The same architect said he snapped up every seminar, every project, to keep himself circulating and in touch with people. Otherwise, another dad says, it is too easy to sit behind your computer shooting dozens of resumes out into the ether every day. The men I interviewed found various remedies: One pulled together a group of former co-workers and formed a creative-services co-operative, referring freelance jobs to each other. Another tactic is to pool your resources and hire a career coach, then get together to practice your interview pitches, critique each other's resumes and share contacts, all with expertguidance from the coach.

Sue Shellenbarger

• management [´mænidʒmənt] n.管理；处理；经营 (初中英语单词)
• columbia [kə´lʌmbiə] n.哥伦比亚 (初中英语单词)
• career [kə´riə] n.经历；生涯；职业 (初中英语单词)
• employer [im´plɔiə] n.雇佣者，雇主 (初中英语单词)
• interview [´intəvju:] n.&vt.接见；会见；交谈 (初中英语单词)
• advise [əd´vaiz] vt.忠告；建议；通知 (初中英语单词)
• swiftly [´swiftli] ad.迅速地，敏捷地 (初中英语单词)
• professional [prə´feʃənəl] a.职业的 n.自由职业 (初中英语单词)
• virginia [və´dʒinjə] n.佛吉尼亚(州) (初中英语单词)
• everyone [´evriwʌn] pron.=everybody 每人 (初中英语单词)
• project [prə´dʒekt, ´prɔdʒekt] v.设计；投掷 n.计划 (初中英语单词)
• otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz] ad.另外 conj.否则 (初中英语单词)
• computer [kəm´pju:tə] n.计算机；电子计算器 (初中英语单词)
• expert [´ekspə:t] n.&a.专家；内行 (初中英语单词)
• architect [´ɑ:kitekt] n.建筑师 (高中英语单词)
• community [kə´mju:niti] n.团体；社区；公众 (高中英语单词)
• trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)
• network [´netwə:k] n.网状物 vt.联播 (英语四级单词)
• weekend [´wi:kend, ,wi:k´end] n.周末休假 (英语四级单词)
• delighted [di´laitid] a.高兴的；喜欢的 (英语四级单词)
• architectural [ɑ:ki´tektʃər(ə)l] a.建筑术的；建筑学的 (英语四级单词)
• guidance [´gaidəns] n.向导，指导，领导 (英语四级单词)
• stigma [´stigmə] n.耻辱；污名 (英语六级单词)
• landing [´lændiŋ] n.登陆；降落；楼梯平台 (英语六级单词)
• confidently [´kɔnfidəntli] ad.有信心地；自信地 (英语六级单词)
• identity [ai´dentiti] n.身份；同一性；一致 (英语六级单词)