Friday 8 January 2010

Qualities And Attributes Required To Become A Successful Undertaker

By Marjorie Wong

Undertakers, also known as Funeral Directors, are professionals who organize activities and ceremonies related to funerals. Mentioned below are a few of the essential skills and personal qualities that undertakers must possess to rise in their profession.

An undertaker should be active and be ready to work at odd hours, as he should be on call 24 hours a day. He must be prepared to work away from his workplace as the job requires him to be at the place where his services are required.

The undertaker must be able to understand the feelings of clients, listen and understand their needs and interact lucidly. People from various cultures, sects and ethnicities as well as those of any age will have to be managed by him with equal ease. Understanding and sympathy will be of great importance as he performs his job. As an undertaker, he is also expected to counsel the family members in their moment of grief, and he must not allow pain or sorrow to cloud his mental faculties.

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

By nature, undertakers should not be narrow minded. They should be willing to honour the faith and beliefs of all religions and should be knowledgeable in this field. As different people follow various funeral customs and rituals, it is advantageous to have knowledge of these.

An undertaker should have good organisational and management skills. He must also have leadership abilities and must be able to coordinate with a wide range of people - from the clergy members to the flower seller.

As the undertaker will be in charge of getting all clearances and following all regulations with respect to the ceremony, he will have to thoroughly know such procedures and legal formalities. He should also be conscious of the administrative procedures to be followed for obtaining death certificates, insurance claims etc.

Finally, he must essentially be able to and be qualified to drive vehicles such as hearses and limousines during the funeral ceremony.

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