What does a Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator do?

Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution. Day to day that includes work like wrap packages or bundles by hand, or by using tying machines and Verify that items are addressed correctly, marked with the proper postage, and in suitable condition for processing.

What skills should a Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator put on a resume?

O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, and Time Management among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Email software, Financial accounting software, Microsoft Access, and Microsoft Excel. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service, Mail Clerk, Mail Handler, and Mail Machine Operator. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 48% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator resume example

A resume for a Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator needs to show the work itself: prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution. Day to day that means work like this: 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. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
Mail Clerk
Mail Handler
Mail Machine Operator
Postal Clerk
Insert Operator
Inserter Operator
Mail Processor
Mail Reader
Mail Sorter
Addressing Machine Operator
Addressograph Operator
Advertising Inserter
Canceling Machine Operator
Dead Mail Checker
Direct Mail Clerk
Direct Mail Coordinator
Distribution Clerk

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

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.
Sort and route incoming mail, and collect outgoing mail, using carts as necessary.
Affix postage to packages or letters by hand, or stamp materials, using postage meters.
Determine manner in which mail is to be sent, and prepare it for delivery to mailing facilities.
Accept and check containers of mail or parcels from large volume mailers, couriers, and contractors.
Seal or open envelopes, by hand or by using machines.
Weigh packages or letters to determine postage needed, using weighing scales and rate charts.
Inspect mail machine output for defects and determine how to eliminate causes of any defects.
Remove from machines printed materials, such as labeled articles, postmarked envelopes or tape, and folded sheets.
Release packages or letters to customers upon presentation of written notices or other identification.

26 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Wrap packages or bundles by hand, or by using tying machines, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Verify that items are addressed correctly, marked with the proper postage, and in suitable condition for processing, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Remove containers of sorted mail or parcels and transfer them to designated areas according to established procedures, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Sort and route incoming mail, and collect outgoing mail, using carts as necessary, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Adobe Acrobat
Email software
Financial accounting software
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Word
Postal Explorer
Recordkeeping software
Web browser software
Word processing software

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

10-key calculators
Automated filing systems
Automatic envelope opening machines
Automatic envelope sealing machines
Computer data input scanners
Computer inkjet printers
Copy machines
Date stampers
Digital duplicating machines
Electronic cash registers
Electronic mailing machines
Hand trucks

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

sort mail

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Critical Thinking
02Monitoring
03Reading Comprehension
04Speaking
05Time Management

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Customer and Personal Service
English Language

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

48%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
45%Less than a High School Diploma
6%Associate's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Some Preparation Needed”. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Common questions

What does a Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator do?: Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution. Day to day that includes work like wrap packages or bundles by hand, or by using tying machines and Verify that items are addressed correctly, marked with the proper postage, and in suitable condition for processing.
What skills should a Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator put on a resume?: O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, and Time Management among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Email software, Financial accounting software, Microsoft Access, and Microsoft Excel. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service, Mail Clerk, Mail Handler, and Mail Machine Operator. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 48% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operator role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.