The most valuable thing I was taught in counselling during a recent job search was that 95% of openings advertised are not actually open. Many are just covering bases legally before already-chosen candidates start work. Getting the job you want is all about networking, and talking to actual hiring managers. (In your case, that's CEOs.)
Exactly correct. Research has shown that 85-90% of jobs are filled through personal networking (includng recruiting), not through ads. Sometimes ads are simply to "cover bases" (as you note), sometimes it's because the employment laws require a certain amount of advertising (broadcasting long had an EEO requirement where the broadcast licensee had to submit a list of jobs, where they were advertised, ethnic data, etc), sometimes they're to collect salary & "available people" data (why some require that you send salary history), and sometimes to see who might be wanting to leave the competition ("competitive intelligence"). Most replies are outright ignored.
There is no requirement for "truth in advertising" with respect to employment advertising.
There are also many admin assistants hired through recruitment and temp firms, in part to conceal turnover from competitors, so make those rounds with your resume, too.
Please. It's a business necessity in response to the "ethics" of many employees, some of which are on display in this thread. People also have emotional reactions and do destructive things until they calm down. I don't fault companies for sending them to the sidewalk with a cardboard box before they go nuts or steal stuff.
Not always. And it certainly doesn't square with managers and executives at the same companies that are given time to "wrap up" or are given huge severance packages.
Some do it quickly for a variety of reasons - to prevent the employees from talking to others, to prevent leakage of company info, to prevent employees from taking written notes that may be used in a lawsuit against the company for improper behavior, to prevent exposure of evidence that could be used against the company, to reduce liabilities, or to get the employee out the door before the end of the month so they don't have to pay benefits for another 30 days.
It is also unfortunate that managers doing the firing often don't know until the last minute.
Again depends on the company. Most managers know when something is afoot, either from budgeting or other means.
My experience in broadcasting, an industry hammered by downsizing the last 20 years, has ranged from two weeks' notice to zero, and in each case my manager was also losing his position.
I am aware of one market manager that was fired by phone, while he was on a client appreciation trip (where they took the largest advertisers on a trip to thank them for the business). That was not very bright on the part of upper management.
The only truly unethical experience I've had was with a podcast client who I gave two weeks notice, who decided that was an excuse not to pay me for my last two weeks. Even that was not unexpected.
While I understand the rationale for dumping a long-term employee without notice, there are cases where it's ethical, cases where it's not, and cases where the ownership/senior management does far more damage to both the company and reputation. In the absence of a non-disparagement clause in a severence agreement, the word will get out quickly. And when it does, it can affect customers desire to purchase products - as well as setting a bad reputation for prospective future employees. There are several web sites where folks share their experiences......
Not in SF. We have a number of clients in the downtown area, and good office managers - having met Kim, I have no doubt she is one - will typically make $60K and a small bonus, on top of options that can easily add another 50% on top of that when the company exits (if it does). These women - and they are invariably women - are usually incredibly valuable, and know more about the inner workings of these organizations than most employees. They end up being "everyone's EA". I always make sure to befriend them because no one else seems to ever know everyone and be on top of everything in a general sense as they do. It's not a shock when companies grow as fast as they do here - you really need someone like that.
So Kim is not out of line if this is the sort of position she is referring to.
That's exactly correct, and Kim fits into that category. "Runs the company", if you will. Many professional firms and offices pay hansomly for the experience she has, as do start-ups and similar entities. A qualified, experienced, sharp office manager is worth every penny of what Kim is asking, especially in SF.