Mail Clerks & Mail Machine Operators

Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution. Time-stamp, open, read, sort, and route incoming mail; and address, seal, stamp, fold, stuff, and affix postage to outgoing mail or packages. Duties may also include keeping necessary records and completed forms.

On the job, you would:

Wrap packages or bundles by hand, or by using tying machines.
Verify that items are addressed correctly, marked with the proper postage, and in suitable condition for processing.
Remove containers of sorted mail or parcels and transfer them to designated areas according to established procedures.

Personality

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Characteristics of this Career
		92%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
		91%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
		89%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
		81%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
		80%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
		73%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
		66%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
		66%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
		65%	Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
		65%	Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
		61%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
		58%	Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
		58%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
		56%	Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Strengths
		95%	Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
		83%	Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Aptitude

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Abilities \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		60%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
		56%	Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
		53%	Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
		53%	Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
		53%	Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
		53%	Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
		53%	Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
		53%	Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Job Details

Responsibilities

Prepare outgoing mail.

Verify shipping documentation.

Attach identification information to products, items or containers.

Sort mail.

Maintain office equipment in proper operating condition.

Sort mail.

Route mail to correct destinations.

Weigh parcels to determine shipping costs.

Analyze shipping information to make routing decisions.

Unload materials or equipment.

Package objects for shipping.

Unload materials or equipment.

Maintain office equipment in proper operating condition.

Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.

Read work orders to determine material or setup requirements.

Send information, materials or documentation.

Inspect items for damage or defects.

Unload materials or equipment.

Coordinate shipping activities with external parties.

Operate office equipment.

Sort mail.

Operate computers or computerized equipment.

Adjust office equipment to ensure proper operation.

Receive shipments.

Obtain written authorization to perform activities.

Explain regulations, policies, or procedures.

Operate vehicles or material-moving equipment.

Sell products or services.

Collect deposits, payments or fees.

Operate office equipment.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent
		99%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
		97%	Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
		93%	Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
		93%	Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
		91%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
		87%	Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
		87%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
		85%	Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
		84%	Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
		82%	Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?
		81%	Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?
		78%	Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
		77%	Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
		76%	Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
		75%	Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions?
		73%	Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?
		71%	Spend Time Standing - How much does this job require standing?
		68%	Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
		67%	Letters and Memos - How often does the job require written letters and memos?
		66%	Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
		62%	Consequence of Error - How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not readily correctable?
		60%	Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment - How important is it to this job that the pace is determined by the speed of equipment or machinery? (This does not refer to keeping busy at all times on this job.)
		60%	Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People - How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?
		60%	Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?
		56%	Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting?
		55%	Responsible for Others' Health and Safety - How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?
		62%	Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Tasks & Values
		69%	Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
		68%	Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
		65%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
		65%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
		63%	Controlling Machines and Processes - Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
		61%	Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
		60%	Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
		57%	Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
		57%	Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
		56%	Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
		53%	Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
		52%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
		51%	Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Getting Started

Education:

48%

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

45%

Less than a High School Diploma

Mail Clerks & Mail Machine Operators

What they do:

On the job, you would:

Personality

Characteristics of this Career

Strengths

Aptitude

Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality

Job Details

Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent

Tasks & Values

Getting Started