Spooky Jobs

Halloween is here and scary things are everywhere! However, there are some professionals who work spooky jobs all year round. In the spirit of Halloween, let's learn about some of the spookiest jobs around.

Gravedigger

Gravediggers dig graves in cemeteries for burials. It sounds creepy, but this is an essential role in American life (and death). Technology and construction equipment make the job both efficient and quicker than individual shoveling, allowing gravediggers to spend time mowing grass, pruning plants, setting grave markers, and making cemeteries beautiful places for loved ones to grieve their losses.

Undertaker

While morbid, undertakers always have a job. Undertakers arrange for removal of the deceased’s body, offer counsel and comfort to families of the deceased and file death certificates and other legal documents. The spooky factor comes in when undertakers have to transport human remains and oversee cremation.

Coroner

The key job responsibility of a coroner or medical examiner is to determine the manners and causes of death, often by performing autopsies. During autopsies, coroners inspect the body of a deceased person to identify marks or other evidence that indicates how he or she died. The scariness factor soars when there is a particularly gruesome murder or a body is found in a lake for example. Weather, the elements, and the kind of death make this job one of the spookiest around.  

Forensic scientist

The gun that killed JFK. The fingerprints left behind by bank robber John Dillinger. Each of these were examined by forensic scientists. Whether working in a lab or on a crime scene, forensic scientists help criminal investigations by collecting and analyzing evidence. 

Crime scene cleaner

There is no certification required to become a crime scene cleaner, but the government requires any employee that has the potential of being exposed to blood to complete training. Someone in this role could clean up a bloody crime scene one day, a hoarders’ home filled with roaches another day, and finish the week with an unattended body clean up. No day is the same! 

Embalmer

In a funeral home, the embalmer is responsible for embalming and preparing the bodies of the deceased for funeral services as well as burials or cremations. This may involve removing blood and replacing it with embalming fluid, performing reconstruction to disguise damage, and applying makeup to provide a peaceful, relaxing appearance. Embalmers must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This may mean working during a holiday or special event.