What skills should a Postal Service Clerk put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Service Orientation, and Critical Thinking 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 Postal Service Clerk list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Budgeting software, Delivery operations information system DOIS, Electronic Time Clock ETC, Inventory tracking software, and Microsoft Windows. 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 Postal Service Clerk work?

O*NET records 34 titles for this occupation, including Clerk, Postal Clerk, Sales and Service Associate, and SSA. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Postal Service Clerk need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 68% 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 Postal Service Clerk 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.

Postal Service Clerk resume example

A resume for a Postal Service Clerk needs to show the work itself: perform any combination of tasks in a United States Postal Service (USPS) post office, such as receive letters and parcels; sell postage and revenue stamps, postal cards, and stamped envelopes; fill out and sell money orders; place mail in pigeon holes of mail rack or in bags; and examine mail for correct postage. Day to day that means work like this: 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. 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.

Clerk
Postal Clerk
Sales and Service Associate
SSA
Window Clerk
Bulk Mail Technician
Distribution Clerk
Part Time Flexible Clerk
PTF Clerk
Sales and Distribution Clerk
CCA
Bulk Clerk
Bulk Mail Clerk
Business Mail Entry Clerk
City Carrier Assistant
Counter Clerk
Delivery Clerk
Dock Clerk

O*NET records 34 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.

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.
Obtain signatures from recipients of registered or special delivery mail.
Answer questions regarding mail regulations and procedures, postage rates, and post office boxes.
Transport mail from one work station to another.
Sell and collect payment for products such as stamps, prepaid mail envelopes, and money orders.
Keep money drawers in order, and record and balance daily transactions.
Register, certify, and insure letters and parcels.
Complete forms regarding changes of address, or theft or loss of mail, or for special services such as registered or priority mail.
Receive letters and parcels, and place mail into bags.
Put undelivered parcels away, retrieve them when customers come to claim them, and complete any related documentation.

19 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.

Weigh letters and parcels, compute mailing costs based on type, weight, and destination, and affix correct postage, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Check mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Sort incoming and outgoing mail, according to type and destination, by hand or by operating electronic mail-sorting and scanning devices, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Obtain signatures from recipients of registered or special delivery mail, 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.

Budgeting software
Delivery operations information system DOIS
Electronic Time Clock ETC
Inventory tracking software
Microsoft Windows
NCR Advanced Store
Point of sale POS software
Time and Attendance Collection System TACS

Tools and equipment

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

Automated mail processing equipment
Barcode scanners
Barcode sorters
Bin stackers
Doubles detectors
Electronic mail sorting devices
General purpose mail containers
Hand stamps
Hand trucks
Mail bags
Mail scales
Mail transport carts

What this job rates as most important

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

01Active Listening
02Speaking
03Reading Comprehension
04Service Orientation
05Critical Thinking
06Monitoring
07Social Perceptiveness
08Time Management

Knowledge areas

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

Customer and Personal Service
English Language
Mathematics
Sales and Marketing
Administrative
Computers and Electronics
Transportation

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.

68%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
18%Some College Courses
8%Less than a High School Diploma

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 Postal Service Clerk do?: Perform any combination of tasks in a United States Postal Service (USPS) post office, such as receive letters and parcels; sell postage and revenue stamps, postal cards, and stamped envelopes; fill out and sell money orders; place mail in pigeon holes of mail rack or in bags; and examine mail for correct postage. Day to day that includes work like weigh letters and parcels, compute mailing costs based on type, weight, and destination, and affix correct postage and Check mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing.
What skills should a Postal Service Clerk put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Service Orientation, and Critical Thinking 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 Postal Service Clerk list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Budgeting software, Delivery operations information system DOIS, Electronic Time Clock ETC, Inventory tracking software, and Microsoft Windows. 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 Postal Service Clerk work?: O*NET records 34 titles for this occupation, including Clerk, Postal Clerk, Sales and Service Associate, and SSA. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Postal Service Clerk need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 68% 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 Postal Service Clerk 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.