Change your resume to eliminate your concerns. Instead of saying I've been with the same company for 21 years focus on your current job and it's responsibilities and more importantly any measurable accomplishments.

So it might be something like this...

1999 - current

Human Resource Manager

Improved employee turnover by 25% by improving employee morale....

Improved customer satisfaction by 46% by getting field memebrs to respond to customer complains the same day instead of the next day, etc..

Make sure you sound upbeat in your cover letter, not too long winded either, short and concise is better.

Hope that helps!

Sending out resumes probably wont work for you. Companies tell me they are overwhelmed with thousands of resumes each week. They probably arent even looking at yours.

The best way to find a new position is by getting a "warm intro" from someone who knows you to the firm you want to work for. Said another way, get into a proactive mode (sending resumes is reactive). Start by joining LinkedIn.com.

It has worked well for many of my clients. You can also contact your current contacts to see who knows who.

Also, check out all the material in the TBD Career Change Workshop. We talk about other proactive ides.

http://www.tbd.com/content/article/basic_article.article:::work_ccw_stage0

I think you need to use the services of a headhunter. They charge the employer, not you. They do the bragging for you. They tell you what to emphasize. They get many of the jobs that companies used to hire out themselves. The good ones are great.

After I sold my business, I used a headhunter and was never without a job for a single day but had 3 in the last 10 years before I retired completely. I've been retired 5 years and they still call me becasue I had unique skills and someone always wants them. I just have no need to work any longer.

No job is fun after 21 years - unless you are a dictator in a country with no opposition.

Think of the positive side. You have a job while you are searching. You have a decent income and are not forced to take the first thing that comes along. You are simply fishing with the wrong bait. You need to accentuate the positives you have to offer. Having worked for 21 years is nice but loyalty is not at issue. Talent is. So, tell them what you can do, not how long you can stand to do it.

Best of luck. But look at the upside: you are working in a down economy! The grass may not be greener on the other side of the fence. There may not even be grass there.

I have found that the only way I EVER get a job is through someone I know. I've tried agencies, the internet, etc. etc., it's a different world now, impersonal, internet resume with keywords....I finally got a job offer yesterday after searching vigorously for 6 months, even through contacts. Can you elaborate more about what you do and would like to find? You never know who's reading here. :)