She decided to include that time on her resume, making light of the gap in her cover letter: "While being a stay-at-home mom allowed me to hone my negotiation skills, I am ready for a new challenge."

"Dusting off a resume is not easy," said Alford, 33, who began a job in sales at OfficeMax last month.

With the unemployment rate near a five-year low in the Triangle area, some parents -- mostly mothers, but some fathers, too -- who have been home with their children are jumping back into the work force. Some experts say they're better able to find desirable jobs with the flexibility they seek.

Still, donning a business suit, polishing interviewing skills and meeting work deadlines again can be intimidating for anyone who has spent a year or more away tending to their family.

Balancing Professionals, a Cary-based firm that specializes in placing people in part-time or flexible work arrangements, has seen an increase in employers calling to ask about its services, said Kella Hatcher, a founding partner. The company places workers in nontraditional work situations such as job-sharing and telecommuting, often desirable situations for stay-at-home mothers.

"There's certainly plenty of talk about moms re-entering the work force and talk about them as a hidden pool of talent," Hatcher said.

She said that although employers are increasingly granting flexible or part-time work to current or returning employees, they are just beginning to recognize the benefits of offering these options to new workers.

Many people who have chosen to stay home are highly educated and have 10 years or more career experience before they had children, Hatcher said. When they return to working, they can often succeed with little training.

In addition, because some have partners with good salaries and health insurance, they could save employers money by working part time without demanding benefits.

Alford, a single mother, searched for a job in which she could still take her daughter, Ella, to preschool. Her new schedule allows time every week to work from home and have lunch with Ella.

Alford sells office supplies and other products to schools and corporations for Office Max. Before the birth of her daughter, Alford had a similar job with Kinko's, so she said she has adjusted to the work quickly. She also needed to find the right child care. For her, it is an au pair.

But it's not always easy. Some mothers struggle to find the right position with the flexibility to accommodate their family as they have been accustomed to. Others find themselves in lesser jobs with lower pay than they had before leaving. Confidence can wane after extended time away. And a gap in a resume to take care of children can make a career switch harder.

Nearly three out of 10 employed pregnant women quit their job, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

About 55 percent of women with infant children were in the work force in 2002, down from a record 59 percent in 1998, the Census Bureau said. By contrast, an estimated 72 percent of women with children older than 1 were employed in 2002.

Amy Tiemann, the Chapel Hill-based author of "Mojo Mom: Nuturing Your Self While Raising a Family" ($14.95, Spark Press) and creator of the Web site www.mojomom.com, says being a working or stay-at-home mother is too often portrayed as a one-way street.

Part-time and work-from-home opportunities abound. The stay-at-home mom who is an accountant might be able to work one month a year, she said.

Elizabeth Ledford, a stay-at-home mother in Raleigh to Grace, 3 and Luke, 1, took a contract position through a temporary agency a few months ago. She now works in human resources for Qualex, a photo-finishing company in Durham. She's keeping her skills current until she goes back to work full time.

Her work helps the family financially while also providing a change of scenery and fulfillment outside the home. The temporary assignment works, with help from a part-time nanny and in-laws who live nearby and can help with child care.

Both Ledford and Alford found out about their jobs from former co-workers.

"I encourage moms to have lunch with colleagues in their work" persona, said Tiemann, whose book is about women's transformation when they become mothers. "I love the metaphor of the secret agent putting on a suit if she needs to. If former coworkers and bosses "see you dressed up one day, they don't know what you're wearing the rest of the time."