Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers

Also called: Certified Mortician, Funeral Arrangement Director, Funeral Arranger, Funeral Counselor, Funeral Director

Varies

estimated salary

Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers perform various tasks to arrange and direct individual funeral services, such as coordinating transportation of the body to the mortuary, interviewing family or other authorized people to arrange details, selecting pallbearers, aiding with the selection of officials for religious rites, and providing transportation for mourners.

  • Obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits.
  • Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
  • Perform embalming duties, as necessary.
  • Oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died.
  • Contact cemeteries to schedule the opening and closing of graves.
  • Remove deceased remains from place of death.
  • Arrange for clergy members to perform needed services.
  • Provide information on funeral service options, products, or merchandise, and maintain a casket display area.
  • Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends.
  • Maintain financial records, order merchandise, or prepare accounts.
  • Plan, schedule, or coordinate funerals, burials, or cremations, arranging details such as floral delivery or the time and place of services.
  • Close caskets and lead funeral corteges to churches or burial sites.
  • Direct preparations and shipment of bodies for out-of-state burial.
  • Inform survivors of benefits for which they may be eligible.
  • Provide or arrange transportation between sites for the remains, mourners, pallbearers, clergy, or flowers.
  • Plan placement of caskets at funeral sites or place or adjust lights, fixtures, or floral displays.
  • Discuss and negotiate prearranged funerals with clients.
  • Clean funeral home facilities and grounds.
  • Arrange for pallbearers or inform pallbearers or honorary groups of their duties.
  • Receive or usher people to their seats for services.
  • Participate in community activities for funeral home promotion or other purposes.
  • Manage funeral home operations, including the hiring, training, or supervision of embalmers, funeral attendants, or other staff.
Work Context
  • Telephone — 99% responded "Every day".
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 93% responded "Extremely important".
  • Electronic Mail — 87% responded "Every day".
  • Time Pressure — 87% responded "Every day".
  • Contact With Others — 77% responded "Constant contact with others".
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — 89% responded "Every day".
  • Deal With External Customers — 80% responded "Extremely important".
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Work Activities
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  • Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Interacting With Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
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Detailed Work Activities
  • Direct funeral or mortuary activities.
  • Train service staff.
  • Supervise service workers.
  • Perform human resources activities.
  • Clean facilities or work areas.
  • Promote products, services, or programs.
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Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Clerical
  • Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
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Skills

Social Perceptiveness
  • Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Active Listening
  • Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Service Orientation
  • Actively looking for ways to help people.
Speaking
  • Talking to others to convey information effectively.
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Abilities

Oral Expression
  • The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension
  • The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Speech Clarity
  • The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition
  • The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
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Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Achievement/Effort
  • Persistence
  • Initiative
  • Leadership
  • Cooperation
  • Concern for Others
  • Social Orientation
  • Self Control
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Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Word processing software
  • Microsoft Word Hot Technology
Office suite software
  • Microsoft Office Hot Technology
  • Corel WordPerfect
Spreadsheet software
  • Microsoft Excel Hot Technology
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