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Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator resume example

A resume for a Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator needs to show the work itself: prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution for the United States Postal Service (USPS). Day to day that means work like this: clear jams in sorting equipment; operate various types of equipment, such as computer scanning equipment, addressographs, mimeographs, optical character readers, and bar-code sorters. 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.

  • Automation Clerk
  • Distribution Clerk
  • Mail Handler
  • Mail Processor
  • Computer Forwarding System Markup Clerk
  • CFS Markup Clerk
  • Flat Sorting Machine Clerk
  • FSM Clerk
  • Mail Handler Equipment Operator
  • Mail Processing Clerk
  • Parcel Post Distribution Machine Operator
  • PDPMO
  • Small Package and Bundle Sorter Clerk
  • SPBS Clerk
  • LSM Operator
  • ZMT Operator
  • Assorter
  • Dead Mail Checker

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

What people in this job call themselves

Titles reported by people actually doing this work, which is often not the title on the job posting.

  • Computer Forwarding System Markup Clerk (CFS Markup Clerk)
  • Flat Sorting Machine Clerk (FSM Clerk)
  • Parcel Post Distribution Machine Operator (PDPMO)
  • Small Package and Bundle Sorter Clerk (SPBS Clerk)

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.

  • Clear jams in sorting equipment.
  • Operate various types of equipment, such as computer scanning equipment, addressographs, mimeographs, optical character readers, and bar-code sorters.
  • Sort odd-sized mail by hand, sort mail that other workers have been unable to sort, and segregate items requiring special handling.
  • Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer-controlled keyboards or voice-recognition equipment.
  • Check items to ensure that addresses are legible and correct, that sufficient postage has been paid or the appropriate documentation is attached, and that items are in a suitable condition for processing.
  • Bundle, label, and route sorted mail to designated areas, depending on destinations and according to established procedures and deadlines.
  • Move containers of mail, using equipment, such as forklifts and automated "trains".
  • Open and label mail containers.
  • Load and unload mail trucks, sometimes lifting containers of mail onto equipment that transports items to sorting stations.
  • Distribute incoming mail into the correct boxes or pigeonholes.
  • Rewrap soiled or broken parcels.
  • Train new workers.

14 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.

  • Clear jams in sorting equipment, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Operate various types of equipment, such as computer scanning equipment, addressographs, mimeographs, optical character readers, and bar-code sorters, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Sort odd-sized mail by hand, sort mail that other workers have been unable to sort, and segregate items requiring special handling, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer-controlled keyboards or voice-recognition equipment, 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.

  • Address Management System AMS
  • Automated Package Processing System APPS
  • Barcode reader software
  • Delivery operations information system DOIS
  • Delivery Routing System DRS
  • Directory software
  • Electronic Time Clock ETC
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft SharePoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Multi-line optical character reader OCR software
  • NCR Advanced Store

17 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

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

  • Addressographs
  • Automatic airline assignment systems
  • Automatic pallet unloaders
  • Barcode scanners
  • Barcode sorters
  • Compact assignment machines
  • Computer data input scanners
  • Conveyor belts
  • Conveyor sorting systems
  • Copy machines
  • Delivery point packagers
  • Dollies

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.

  • train personnel

What this job rates as most important

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

  1. 01Monitoring
  2. 02Coordination
  3. 03Critical Thinking
  4. 04Reading Comprehension
  5. 05Speaking

Knowledge areas

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

  • 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.

  • 81%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
  • 12%Less than a High School Diploma
  • 6%Some College Courses

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 Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator do?
Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution for the United States Postal Service (USPS). Day to day that includes work like clear jams in sorting equipment and Operate various types of equipment, such as computer scanning equipment, addressographs, mimeographs, optical character readers, and bar-code sorters.
What skills should a Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator put on a resume?
O*NET rates Monitoring, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking 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 Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Address Management System AMS, Automated Package Processing System APPS, Barcode reader software, Delivery operations information system DOIS, and Delivery Routing System DRS. 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 Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator work?
O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Automation Clerk, Distribution Clerk, Mail Handler, and Mail Processor. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 81% 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 Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing 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.