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POST
OFFICE JOBS
Postal Clerks & Mail
Carrier Job description
POSTAL CLERKS AND MAIL
CARRIERS
THE LARGEST USPS OCCUPATIONS
Nature of the Work
Clerks and carriers are distinguished by the type of work they do. Clerks are usually
classified by the mail processing function they perform, whereas carriers are classified
by their type of route; city or rural.
About 350 mail processing centers throughout the country service post offices in
surrounding areas and are staffed primarily by postal clerks. Some clerks, more commonly
referred to as mail handlers, unload the sacks of incoming mail; separate letters, parcel
post, magazines, and newspapers; and transport these to the proper sorting and processing
area. In addition, they may perform simple canceling operations and rewrap packages
damaged in processing after letters have been put through stamp-canceling machines. They
are taken to other workrooms to be sorted according to destination. Clerks operating
electronic letter-sorting machines push keys corresponding to the ZIP code of the local
post office to which each letter will be delivered; the machine then drops the letters
into the proper slots. A growing proportion of clerks operate optical character readers
(OCRs) and barcode sorters, machines that can "read" the address and sort a
letter according to a code printed on the envelope. Others sort odd-sized letters,
magazines, and newspapers by hand. Finally, the mail is sent to local post offices, sorted
according to delivery route, and delivered.
Postal clerks at local post offices sort local mail for delivery to individual customers
and provide retail services such as selling stamps and money orders, weighing packages to
determine postage, and checking that packages are in satisfactory condition for mailing.
Clerks also register, certify, and insure mail and answer questions about postage rates,
post office boxes, mailing restrictions, and other postal matters. Occasionally, they may
help a customer file a claim for a damaged package.
Once the mail has been processed and sorted, it is ready to be delivered by mail carriers.
Duties of city and rural carriers are very similar. Most travel established routes
delivering and collecting mail. Mail carriers start work at the post office early in the
morning, where they spend a few hours arranging their mail for delivery and taking care of
other details. Carriers may cover the route on foot, by vehicle, or a combination of both.
On foot, they carry a heavy load of mail in a satchel or push it in a cart. In some urban
and most rural areas, they use a car or small truck. Although the Postal Service provides
vehicles to city carriers, most rural carriers use their own automobiles. Deliveries are
made house-to-house, to roadside mailboxes, and to large buildings. such as offices or
apartments, which generally have all the mailboxes on the first floor.
Besides delivering and collecting mail, carriers collect money for postage-due and c.o.d.
(cash on delivery) fees and obtain signed receipts for registered, certified, and insured
mail. If a customer is not home, the carrier leaves a notice that tells where special mail
is being held.
After completing their routes, carriers return to the post office with mail gathered from
street collection boxes, homes, and businesses. They turn in the mail receipts and money
collected during the day and may separate letters and parcels for further processing by
clerks.
The duties of some city carriers may be very specialized; some deliver only parcel post
while others collect mail from street boxes and receiving boxes in office buildings. In
contrast, rural carriers provide a wide range of postal services. In addition to
delivering and picking up mail, they sell stamps and money orders and accept parcels,
letters, and items to be registered, certified, or insured.
All carriers answer customers' questions about postal regulations and services and provide
change-of-address cards and other postal forms when requested. In addition to their
regularly scheduled duties, carriers often participate in neighborhood service programs in
which they check on elderly or shut-in patrons or notify the police of any suspicious
activities along their route.
Postal clerks and mail carriers are classified as casual, part-time flexible, part-time
regular, or full time. Casual workers help process and deliver mail during peak mailing or
vacation periods. Part-time flexible workers do not have a regular work schedule or weekly
guarantee of hours; they replace absent workers and help with extra work as the need
arises. Part-time regulars have a set work schedule of less than 40 hours per week.
Full-time postal employees work a 40-hour week over a 5-day period.
Working Conditions
Postal clerks usually work in clean, well-ventilated, and well-lit buildings. However,
other conditions vary according to work assignments and the type of labor saving machinery
available. In small post offices, mail handlers use hand trucks to move heavy mail sacks
from one part of the building to another and clerks may sort mail by hand. In large post
offices and mail processing centers, chutes and conveyors move the mail, and much of the
sorting is done by machines. Despite the use of automated equipment, the work of
mail handlers and postal clerks can be physically demanding. These workers are usually on
their feet, reaching for sacks and trays of mail or placing packages and bundles into
sacks and trays. Mail handlers and distribution clerks may become bored with the routine
of moving and sorting mail. Many work at night or on weekends because most large post
offices process mail around the clock, and the largest volume of
mail is sorted during the evening and night shifts.
Window clerks, on the other hand, have a greater variety of duties, frequent contact with
the public, and rarely have to work at night. However, they may have to deal with upset
customers, and they are held accountable for the assigned stock of stamps and for postal
funds.
Most carriers begin work early in the morning, in some cases as early as 4 a.m. if they
have routes in the business district. A carrier's schedule has its advantages, however:
Carriers who begin work early in the morning are through by early afternoon, and they
spend most of the day on their own, relatively free from direct supervision.
Carriers spend most of their time outdoors, and deliver mail in all kinds of weather. Even
those who drive often must walk when making deliveries and must lift heavy sacks of parcel
post items when loading their vehicles. In addition, carriers always must be cautious of
potential hazards on their routes. Wet roads and sidewalks can be treacherous, and each
year numerous carriers are bitten by unfriendly dogs.
"Post Office Jobs" is the only career
guide that includes guidance on how to successfully handle the postal pre-appointment
interview, prepare for the 473 Battery Test and it presents complete position descriptions
for the Post Office's top 25 job classifications. It also lists all 2,000 Postal Service
job classifications including the pay and total number employed in that occupation.
Job seekers looking for good pay with excellent benefits should pursue the postal service
job market and use this book's resources to begin their personal job search. The Job
Hunter's Checklist in Appendix A keeps applicants focused and on target.
ORDER "Post Office Jobs"
"Post Office Jobs"
by Dennis V. Damp provides complete occupational listings
with salary information for the entire Postal Service.
CRAFT & WAGE PER HOUR POSITIONS:
Administrative Clerk
Auto Mechanic
Blacksmith-Welder
Building Equipment Mechanic carpenter
Carrier
Cleaner, Custodian
Clerk Stenographer
Data Conversion Operator
Distribution Clerk
Electronic Technician
Elevator Mechanic
Engineman
Fireman
Garageman-Driver
General Mechanic
Letter Box Mechanic
Letter Carrier
LSM Operator
Machinist
Mail Handler
Maintenance Mechanic
Mark Up Clerk
Mason
Mechanic Helper
Motor Vehicle Operator
Painter
Plumber
Scale Mechanic
Security Guard
PROFESSIONAL
Accounting Technician
Architect/Engineer
Budget Assistant
Computer Programmer
Computer System Analyst
Electronic Engineer
Transportation Specialist
Industrial Engineer
Technical Writer
Stationery Engineer
MANAGEMENT
Administrative Manager
Foreman of Mail
General Foreman
Labor Relations Representative
Manager Bulk-Mail
Manager-Distribution
Manager-Station/Branch
Postmaster-Branch
Safety Officer
Schemes Routing Officer
Supervisor-Accounting
Supervisor-Customer Service
System Liaison Specialist
Tour Superintendent
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Postal Clerks &
Mail Carriers |
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Each day, the United States Postal Service receives, sorts, and delivers millions of
letters, bills, adver-tisements, and packages. To do this, it employs about
773,000
workers. Almost 5 out of 10 of these workers are postal clerks, who sort mail and serve
customers in post offices, or mail carriers, who deliver the mail. |
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