In the 19 months since she was laid off as a director of marketing at Wizshop.com, an online retailer, Jennifer Stackle has worked two short-term jobs at two other companies for a total of just six months.

Recently, the 29-year-old Ms. Stackle, who lives in Los Angeles, has been wondering whether she should lower her sights to get back in the game. In October, she interviewed for a position with long-term prospects, but it would have required her to cut her previous annual salary in half -- to between $38,000 and $40,000, from $80,000 -- and drop down at least one rung on the management ladder.

"It was a great interview," she says. "But I decided not to do it." Pursuing the job, at a large sports-media company, "gets you in the door, but it looks terrible on your resume," she says. She is holding out for more.

When do you settle for a post that could be perceived as a step backward? That question hangs over workers who have been unemployed for six months or more. Career experts are divided on the best way to proceed, but here are some points to consider.

New Directions

A lower-paying job that requires less expertise in a particular area can be a steppingstone to a new career. So instead of viewing such a job as a temporary financial fix, "this may be a time to really reassess what you've loved before and apply that in a different career direction," says Darelyn Mitsch, president of Pyramid Resource Group Inc., a Cary, North Carolina, coaching concern. She advises job seekers to consider working for a nonprofit or other organization where you can pick up new skills "and spark a level of creativity that you haven't sparked yet."

Staying in your field but taking a pay cut, meanwhile, isn't necessarily a bad thing if the post has strong long-term potential, says Dick Stone, a principal of Stone Group, a Princeton, New Jersey, human-resources consulting firm. He suggests that job seekers seek lower-paying openings at companies with good growth prospects and the possibility of swift advancement.

"I would strongly advise people, particularly if they're in the second half of their career, to take less money," he says. "That's where you're probably getting overpaid. The key is to get into a hot industry, out of a cold one."

He also says that earning less now could make you more marketable in the future to employers who won't be turned off by a high salary. In its place, he advises candidates to negotiate a salary review in six months rather than a year, and to get their benefits to begin as soon as they start a new position.

Effect on Self-Image

But taking a lower-level position has potential pitfalls. For one thing, such a move can hurt one's self-image, says Taunee Besson, a principal of Career Dimensions, a Dallas-based career coaching company. "When you're going after a job that's below your level and you can't even get that, that's truly terrible for your ego," she says.

She warns that working for a manager with less experience than you can lead to tensions, and cautions that earning less can be a "self-fulfilling prophecy" for people who begin to question their own worth.

She recommends looking for a position at a small company, where a person might earn less but have greater input. She advises candidates to explain their situation prior to an employment interview, whenever possible, "and not have the resume be the first introduction to you." You also can reshape your resume to focus on key functions of the position you're going after with relevant work experience, rather than listing work experience chronologically.

'Grateful' for Work

Despite such risks, though, some people say there's a psychological benefit from getting back to work that can't be overstated.

People who just lost a job always say, " 'I'm not going to take a job that pays me less,' " says Kaveh Keshvadi, 44, who lives in Suwanee, Georgia. "I was one of them." Mr. Keshvadi was laid off in March from Nortel Networks Corp., where he earned $85,000 a year as a senior systems engineer. In November, Cox Communications Inc. hired him as a data specialist, which he describes as an entry-level position that pays $50,000.

But Mr. Keshvadi says his new full-time position beats sitting at home for six months, and that he feels "grateful" to his new employer. "I have an income. I have insurance. I go to work every day," he says. "As a person, I'm satisfied because I have a job."