THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 9, 1996 TAG: 9602090497
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LON WAGNER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
Sure, Richard Pultz likes driving a smooth-riding luxury sedan every week as part of his job. And in the age of massive corporate layoffs, many would envy the job security he enjoys.
Even so, Pultz was a little surprised to find that his vocation is considered the best management position in the country. Pultz is a funeral director.
A new report out this week, ``Hot Jobs: The Best Places to Work in America,'' ranked 219 industries based on the number of job openings, security, salary and growth potential. Funeral director came out on top.
``It is a good profession,'' says Pultz, who manages Sturtevant Funeral Home's chapel in Portsmouth. ``But we're not always driving around in a brand new car, wearing a suit. My friends don't realize I still go out to homes and pick up bodies.''
Job security was one measure that weighted the survey in favor of funeral directors, said David Birch, president of Cognetics Inc., a Boston company that runs an on-line job service.
``It pays pretty well; there's enormous stability, and the population is aging,'' Birch said. ``There's only one demographic constant in the world - one death per person.''
The average salary of a funeral director ($32,429) paled in comparison to the three highest-paying professions: stock broker ($53,504), chiropractor ($51,250) and physician ($50,859).
Nor was it the most secure job; that went to U.S. Postal Service workers, 95 percent of whom retained their jobs. Hospital and university jobs were the second and third most-secure positions.Funeral services ranked 10th in the category.
To be a funeral director in Virginia, a person has to serve an internship, graduate from an accredited mortuary school, and pass national and state board exams. Many funeral directors become interested in the job because their father, mother or another family member was in the business, said Frank Graves, a director at Cox Funeral Home in Norfolk.
Graves, whose mother and father were funeral directors, likes the stability and the variety of his job. But there are downsides.
``I can easily say that no two days are alike - it's not like a factory job where you do the same thing for eight hours every day,'' Graves said. ``But the hours are long - you're on call 24 hours a day.''
Despite the hours, Graves has been able to be more selective in hiring in recent years because of the tough economy. Many applicants have four-year college degrees. But both he and Pultz warned that for those not raised around the business, getting used to its obvious peculiarities might be difficult.
When Pultz started studying for an associate's degree in mortuary science, he was one of 60 would-be funeral directors. Only five finished the program.
He knows the public might sometimes snicker about the profession, but he likes its uniqueness. And he never lacks for something to talk about at parties.
``When you go somewhere, socially, you're kind of hesitant to tell people what you do,'' Pultz said. ``Either they're really fascinated by it and they want to talk to you all night, or they don't want to talk to you at all.''
Well, sometimes it's lonely at the top. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Vicki Cronis/The Virginin-Pilot
Bryan, left and Frank Graves of Cox Funeral Home in Norfolk: many
funeral directors became interested in the job because family
members were already were in the business.
Graphic
Funeral directors are not among the leaders in salary or in job
security, but overall the profession ranks first for managers.
Average salary,
by industry:
1. Stock brokers $53,504
2. Chiropractors $51,250
3. Physicians $50,859
4. Legal services $49,958
5. PR services $44,852
Average percent of jobs
preserved, by industry:
Postal Service 94.9%
Hospitals 86.0%
Colleges 84.1%
Nursing facilities 82.6%
Museums 82.2%
Source: The survey: "Hot Jobs: The Best Places to work in America"
KEYWORDS: FUNERAL DIRECTOR BEST JOBS SURVEY STUDY
by CNB