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Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arranger resume example

A resume for a Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arranger needs to show the work itself: perform various tasks to arrange and direct individual funeral services, such as coordinating transportation of body to mortuary, interviewing family or other authorized person to arrange details, selecting pallbearers, aiding with the selection of officials for religious rites, and providing transportation for mourners. Day to day that means work like this: oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died; obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

  • Funeral Arranger
  • Funeral Counselor
  • Funeral Director
  • Mortician
  • Funeral Arrangement Director
  • Funeral Family Service Assistant
  • Funeral Location Manager
  • Funeral Prearrangement Counselor
  • Licensed Funeral Director
  • Licensed Mortician
  • Arranger
  • Certified Mortician
  • Embalmer
  • Funeral Planner
  • Funeral Planning Counselor
  • Funeral Prearrangement Specialist
  • Hospital Mortician
  • Licensed Embalmer

O*NET records 19 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

  • Oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died.
  • Obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits.
  • Perform embalming duties, as necessary.
  • Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
  • Remove deceased remains from place of death.
  • Contact cemeteries to schedule the opening and closing of graves.
  • 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.
  • Provide information on funeral service options, products, or merchandise, and maintain a casket display area.
  • Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends.
  • Direct preparations and shipment of bodies for out-of-state burial.
  • Discuss and negotiate prearranged funerals with clients.

22 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

  • Oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Perform embalming duties, as necessary, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

  • Belmar & Associates Mortware
  • Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
  • Custom Data Systems Sterling Management Software
  • FPA Software MACCS
  • FuneralKiosk
  • HMIS Advantage
  • iCIMS Talent Cloud software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Salesforce software
  • Twin Tier Technologies MIMS

15 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

  • Adult trocars
  • Air brushes
  • Aneurysm needles
  • Angular forceps
  • Arm and hand positioners
  • Axillary drain tubes
  • Barber scissors
  • Bistoury knives
  • Blending brushes
  • Body bags
  • Body positioners
  • Calvarium clamps

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

  1. 01Active Listening
  2. 02Social Perceptiveness
  3. 03Service Orientation
  4. 04Coordination
  5. 05Speaking
  6. 06Time Management
  7. 07Reading Comprehension
  8. 08Writing
  9. 09Critical Thinking
  10. 10Judgment and Decision Making

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

  • Customer and Personal Service
  • English Language
  • Administrative
  • Administration and Management
  • Psychology
  • Personnel and Human Resources
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Biology

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

  • 73%Associate's Degree
  • 15%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
  • 11%Bachelor's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arranger do?
Perform various tasks to arrange and direct individual funeral services, such as coordinating transportation of body to mortuary, interviewing family or other authorized person to arrange details, selecting pallbearers, aiding with the selection of officials for religious rites, and providing transportation for mourners. Day to day that includes work like oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died and Obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits.
What skills should a Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arranger put on a resume?
O*NET rates Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Coordination, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arranger list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Belmar & Associates Mortware, Corel WordPerfect Office Suite, Custom Data Systems Sterling Management Software, FPA Software MACCS, and FuneralKiosk. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arranger work?
O*NET records 19 titles for this occupation, including Funeral Arranger, Funeral Counselor, Funeral Director, and Mortician. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arranger need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 73% reported their level of education as "Associate's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arranger role?
No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

  • No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
  • This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
  • Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.