Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Skills And Personal Qualities Needed For Undertakers

By Marjorie Wong

Undertakers, also known as Funeral Directors, are experts who manage activities and ceremonies associated with funerals. Given below are some of the important skills and qualifications that undertakers must possess to rise in their job.

An undertaker should be energetic and be ready to work beyond normal schedule, as he should be on call 24 hours a day. This is essentially an outdoors job, which will need him to be away from office for long hours.

To be an undertaker, a person should be able to communicate well and should accommodate the opinions of others. He should be able to manage and interact with people of different age groups and people having various social and cultural backgrounds. He must be compassionate and must empathize with others. As an undertaker, he is also required to counsel the family in their moment of grief, and he should not allow distress or grief to cloud his mental faculties.

Undertakers should be dignified by nature and practise seriousness, but should not look gloomy or morose, as this may heighten the grief of the family and friends of the deceased.

Undertakers should have extensive knowledge and profound respect for the religious sentiments and beliefs of various cultures and communities. They must be conscious of different customs and rituals followed by different groups during the funeral service.

Good management and the ability to organise are essential skills an undertaker should possess. Making arrangements for necessary services like flowers, ceremonies etc will involve coordination with a lot of providers and will need leadership and management skills.

As the undertaker will shoulder the responsibility of getting all clearances and adhering to all regulations related to the event, he will need to thoroughly know such procedures and legal matters. He will need to be fully aware of rules to be followed for the purpose of obtaining death certificates or claims for insurance.

Finally, an undertaker should know how to drive and should possess a valid driving license, as he may have to drive hearses and limousines.

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