“The Tried and True”
Workdays begin as early as 6a.m. for Denardi. During a typical week, Denardi sometimes finishes her work around 9p.m, hours after she’s clocked out for the day. Denardi works for O’Keeffe & Company, a boutique company that specializes in public relations and marketing solutions.
O’Keeffe & Company has successfully helped many clients in its 17 year history. Major clients include Symantec and Blackberry (formerly known as RIM). O’ Keeffe & Company deal in many different kinds of work, from public relations to graphic design; they are self-described as excelling at “the tried and true.”
Katherine Denardi, who received both her B.S. and M.A. from George Mason University, currently works as an account coordinator for O’Keefe & Company. Refusing to accept the label of “average days” for her work hours, Denardi prefers the term “average weeks” instead. In her line of work, varied tasks and harrowing deadlines are hardly out of the ordinary.
A typical week includes responsibilities ranging from social media to client relations. Managing Facebook pages, comparing spreadsheets, writing tweets, drafting blog posts, drafting/writing emails to clients are all potential tasks that Denardi may have to deal with every day on the job, sometimes all on the same day.
Denardi readily admits that the job is stressful. However, she insists her social life has not suffered as O’Keefe & Company maintains a friendly atmosphere that encourages coworkers to interact comfortably. As for the work itself, Denardi enjoys it despite its stressful nature.
Denardi believes with the right job, it is possible to avoid work fatigue no matter the workload. “Find a job that you are happy with,” Denardi says. “Otherwise you will burn out quickly.”