How to hire mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Clear jams in sortation equipment.
• Determine manner in which mail is to be sent, and prepare it for delivery to mailing facilities.
• Lift and unload containers of mail or parcels onto equipment for transportation to sortation stations.
• Place incoming or outgoing letters or packages into sacks or bins based on destination or type, and place identifying tags on sacks or bins.
• Release packages or letters to customers upon presentation of written notices or other identification.
• 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.
• Verify that items are addressed correctly, marked with the proper postage, and in suitable condition for processing.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent]
• Strong critical thinking, monitoring, reading comprehension and speaking skills
• Working knowledge of customer and personal service
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $18.89 an hour ($39,280 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to clear jams in sortation equipment. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to determine manner in which mail is to be sent, and prepare it for delivery to mailing facilities. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to lift and unload containers of mail or parcels onto equipment for transportation to sortation stations. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to place incoming or outgoing letters or packages into sacks or bins based on destination or type, and place identifying tags on sacks or bins. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
6. How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
7. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service do

• Clear jams in sortation equipment.
• Determine manner in which mail is to be sent, and prepare it for delivery to mailing facilities.
• Lift and unload containers of mail or parcels onto equipment for transportation to sortation stations.
• Place incoming or outgoing letters or packages into sacks or bins based on destination or type, and place identifying tags on sacks or bins.
• Release packages or letters to customers upon presentation of written notices or other identification.
• 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.
• Verify that items are addressed correctly, marked with the proper postage, and in suitable condition for processing.

Skills that matter most

Critical ThinkingMonitoringReading ComprehensionSpeakingCustomer and Personal Service

Education, experience and outlook for mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service

• Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: None (O*NET)
• Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: -7.2% over ten years, declining · about 4,700 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Postal Service Clerks
• Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
• Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks
• Postal Service Mail Carriers
• Couriers and Messengers
• Data Entry Keyers
• Stockers and Order Fillers
• Office Machine Operators, Except Computer
• Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
• Order Clerks

Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.