How to hire a pallbearer

How to hire a pallbearer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step pallbearer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a pallbearer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new pallbearer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

Post a pallbearer job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a pallbearer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect pallbearer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents pallbearer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Pallbearer	Description	Hourly rate
   Pallbearer		$10-38
   Funeral Attendant	A funeral attendant assists funeral directors in a funeral service to ensure it runs smoothly as planned. The attendant is in charge of placing the casket in the parlor before the service, and they may also manage the finances of the funeral home... Show more	$11-17

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Funeral Homes

   Responsibilities:

   • Accomplish multiple tasks daily including cleaning, mowing, delivering notices/important packages.
   • Interview patients for admission and discharge purposes, verify their eligibility for medical benefits and assist in providing for patient accommodations.
   • Provide direct therapeutic intervention base on consumers treatment needs that are identified in the PCP.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your pallbearer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A pallbearer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, pallbearers' average salary in kansas is 57% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level pallbearers 73% less than senior-level pallbearers.
   • Certifications. A pallbearer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a pallbearer's salary.

   Average pallbearer salary

   $43,045yearly

   $20.69 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level pallbearer salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 24, 2025

4. Writing a pallbearer job description

   A good pallbearer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a pallbearer job description:

   Pallbearer job description example

   Our associates celebrate lives. We celebrate our associates.
   
   Consider the possibilities of joining a Great Place to Work!
   
   Drives hearse and/or removal vehicle to transport deceased to mortuary from place of death and from mortuary to place of funeral service and interment. Carries the casket to the required location.
   
   **Pallbearer**
   
   **JOB RESPONSIBILITIES**
   
   **Responsibility Header**
   
   + Assists casket bearers in moving casketed deceased to place of funeral service or interment.
   
   + Arrives at appointed destination on or before the time agreed upon with client family or other persons as required
   
   + Inspects and cleans, if necessary, all vehicles before departing from garage to point of destination to pick up passengers
   
   + Assists passengers in and out of limousine with special emphasis and patience given to the handicapped and elderly
   
   + Assists the Funeral Director in the movement of the casketed deceased and other related paraphernalia in and out of the visitation area, funeral home chapel, church or other place of service
   
   + Assists the Funeral Director in forming the cortege in its proper order while attending and directing auto traffic at funeral home and / or church parking lots
   
   + Drives the hearse, family limousine or other vehicle in the funeral cortege and / or other funeral related activities, as required
   
   + Assists in loading flowers into flower car and / or hearse
   
   + Assists the funeral director in arranging floral tributes in visitation area, funeral home chapel, church or other place of service, as required
   
   + Carries the coffin as directed by the Funeral Director or Location Management team
   
   + Works together with other pallbearers supporting weight and moving at the same pace as the others
   
   + May participate in community outreach
   
   + Stays current with Dignity University courses
   
   + Performs other duties as required
   
   **MINIMUM** **Requirements**
   
   **Education**
   
   + High School or GED equivalent
   
   **Certification/License**
   
   + Valid Driver's License with a Clean Driving Record
   
   **Experience**
   
   + Minimum of six (6) months related work experience
   
   **Knowledge, Skills and Abilities**
   
   + Professional appearance required
   
   + Ability to follow instructions given over the phone or in person
   
   + Ability to work effectively with others
   
   + Must show compassion and respect
   
   + Detail orientation
   
   **Work CONDITIONS**
   
   **Work Environment**
   
   + Work indoors and outdoors during all seasons and weather conditions
   
   + Limited amount of local and/or multiple location traveling required
   
   + Professional Dress is required when in contact with families.
   
   **Work Postures**
   
   + Frequent, continuous periods of time standing, up 6 hours per day
   
   + Sitting continuously for many hours per day, up to 6 hours per day
   
   + Climbing stairs to access buildings frequently
   
   **Physical Demands**
   
   + Physical effort requiring manual dexterity is required
   
   + Physical ability to lift 75 lbs. and coordination to lift / move in tandem as a group
   
   + Mobile dexterity, coordination and stability when on traversing uneven surfaces
   
   + Lifting requirement, may be required to mount casket on shoulders
   
   **Work Hours**
   
   + Working beyond "standard" hours as the need arises
   
   Postal Code: 47711
   
   Category (Portal Searching): Operations
   
   Job Location: US-IN - Evansville

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right pallbearer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your pallbearer job on Zippia to find and recruit pallbearer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting pallbearers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new pallbearer

   Once you've found the pallbearer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new pallbearer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a pallbearer?