17 Key Attributes Embalmers Need To Succeed In Their Career

by Ava Rodriguez

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Embalmers prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements.

The core tasks that embalmers are likely to carry out include:

Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.
Apply cosmetics to impart lifelike appearance to the deceased.
Incise stomach and abdominal walls and probe internal organs, using trocar, to withdraw blood and waste matter from organs.
Close incisions, using needles and sutures.
Reshape or reconstruct disfigured or maimed bodies when necessary, using dermasurgery techniques and materials such as clay, cotton, plaster of Paris, and wax.
Dress bodies and place them in caskets.

In order to successfully forge ahead with their careers, analysts in a survey carried out by U.S. Department of Labor (via O*NET) have marked out the following as important attributes that embalmers would need. These attributes have been selected from characteristics and requirements strongly associated with the occupation. They are

Abilities: Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance
Interests: Preferences for work environments. Occupational Interest Profiles (OIPs) are compatible with Holland's (1985, 1997) model of personality types and work environments. Six interest categories are used to describe the work environment of occupations: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. An OIP consists of six numerical scores indicating how descriptive and characteristic each work environment (or interest area) is for an occupation
Knowledge: Organized sets of principles and facts applying in general domains
Skills: These include basic skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate learning or the more rapid acquisition of knowledge. Plus cross-functional skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate performance of activities that occur across jobs
Style: Personal characteristics that can affect how well someone performs a job

We have listed out attributes which were scored 80% or more in terms of importance by the analysts.

Being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 96.2%

Having a strong preference for realistic work environments. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Attribute Type: Interests Score: 95.29%

Being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 93.6%

Being honest and ethical.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 92.8%

Being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 90.2%

Maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 87%

Creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 85.8%

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.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 84.6%

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.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 84%

Analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 84%

A willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 83.6%

Developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 83.4%

Being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 82.8%

Persistence in the face of obstacles.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 82.4%

Accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 82%

Being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 81.2%

Establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 80.2%