Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joseph Barron (Public domain)
Job description
Clerks weigh letters and parcels, compute mailing costs by weight and destination, and affix the correct postage, while also checking that outgoing mail meets requirements and obtaining signatures for registered or special delivery items. Sorting incoming and outgoing mail, whether by hand or with electronic scanning equipment, and moving it between workstations are steady parts of the job. Much of the shift is spent on your feet interacting directly with the public, including customers who are frustrated about a delay or a lost package.
Pros
- Solid pay for the education required, reaching over $75k with just a high school diploma
- Stable, well-established role within a long-standing federal institution
- Varied daily tasks combining customer service with sorting and logistics work
Cons
- Employment is projected to shrink modestly (-3.5%) as mail volume continues to decline
- Spends most of the shift on your feet, in close contact with the public
- Regularly deals with frustrated customers over postage, delivery, or mail regulation issues
A typical day
The window opens at 8:30am, and the first hour is a steady line: passport applications with their photo checks, a small-business owner shipping twelve boxes, a certified letter that needs exact signatures and stamps. Between customers the clerk restocks supplies, sorts arriving parcels into PO boxes, and answers the phone about a package scanned as delivered but not on the porch. Afternoons bring the daily balancing ritual — every stamp, money order, and cash transaction must reconcile to the penny before the drawer closes. The pace is set by the line, and holiday season doubles it.
Tasks at the job
- Obtain signatures from recipients of registered or special delivery mail.
- Weigh letters and parcels, compute mailing costs based on type, weight, and destination, and affix correct postage.
- Check mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing.
- Sort incoming and outgoing mail, according to type and destination, by hand or by operating electronic mail-sorting and scanning devices.
- Answer questions regarding mail regulations and procedures, postage rates, and post office boxes.
- Transport mail from one work station to another.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and most of the day is spent on your feet, and you work in close physical proximity to coworkers or the public for much of the shift. Noise levels can be distracting or uncomfortable. The role involves regular exposure to contaminants.
There's a regular, moderate amount of time pressure. You'll regularly deal with frustrated or upset people as part of the job.
Education necessary or common
High school diploma; some on-the-job training or apprenticeship
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- Math for Business/Consumer Math — daily cash handling and reconciliation
- English — clear communication with a nonstop stream of customers
- Computer Applications — POS terminals and tracking systems
- Geography — surprisingly relevant to rates, zones, and addressing
Clubs, activities & competitions
- Any customer-facing part-time job — retail or food service is direct preparation
- School store or concessions volunteering
- Student office aide
First steps you can take now
- Take the USPS Virtual Entry Assessment guide for a practice run — hiring is exam-based
- Get a customer-service job to build the exact skills the counter demands
- Talk to a clerk at your local post office about how they got hired and what the schedule is like
- Set up a USPS careers account and watch for openings in your area
