Perform various tasks to arrange and direct funeral services, such as coordinating transportation of body to mortuary for embalming, interviewing family or other authorized person to arrange details, selecting pallbearers, procuring official for religious rites, and providing transportation for mourners.

Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

1. Obtain information needed to complete legal documents such as death certificates and burial permits.

2. Oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died.

3. Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, and plans for services.

4. Plan, schedule, and coordinate funerals, burials, and cremations, arranging details such as floral delivery and the time and place of services.

5. Perform embalming duties as necessary.

6. Arrange for clergy members to perform needed services.

7. Contact cemeteries to schedule the opening and closing of graves.

8. Provide information on funeral service options, products, and merchandise, and maintain a casket display area.

9. Close caskets and lead funeral corteges to churches or burial sites.

10. Inform survivors of benefits for which they may be eligible.

11. Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families and friends.

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.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

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.

English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

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.

Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.

Training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers.

The college search results are undergraduate programs associated with Funeral Directors. Further education may also be required to pursue this career.

The training search results include both short and long-term programs associated with Funeral Directors, and may be more appropriate for adult and non-traditional students. Further training may also be required to pursue this career.

In NY the average wage for this occupation was:

$47,390 for entry level workers, and $85,980 for experienced workers.

Based on the total number of annual openings and its growth rate, the employment prospects for this occupation are described as Favorable.

During 2006, there were approximately 1,550 Funeral Directors employed in NY.

We estimate that in 2016 there will be 1,640  employed in NY. This represents an increase of 10 job(s) each year, and a total of 40 job openings each year.

Funeral directors - Visit this link for additional information on this career from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; a publication produced and maintained by the United States Department of Labor.

Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs - Determine eligibility of persons applying to receive assistance from government programs and agency resources, such as welfare, unemployment benefits, social security, and public housing.