Post Office Jobs: How to Get a Job with the U.S. Postal Service

The all-new seventh-edition of Post Office Jobs provides an overview of what jobs are available, including many that don’t require written tests and how to apply for them. You will also find a comprehensive 473/473E study guide with helpful test-taking strategies that could dramatically improve many applicant’s exam scores. Seven other sample postal exams are included in this new edition for maintenance, clerical, technician, and other major occupations.

Most limit their job search to mail carrier and clerk positions and are unaware of the many other career opportunities that the postal service offers. Even with mail carriers and clerks making up over 50% of the workforce the postal service still employs hundreds of thousands in other occupations. They employ 30,000 building and equipment maintenance workers, 5,000 vehicle maintenance employees, thousands of motor vehicle operators, postal inspectors, accountants, administrative staff, human resource personnel, and professionals across a broad spectrum of fields.

Post Office Jobs is the only post office career guide that includes a comprehensive 473/473E exam study guide, sample exam questions for 7 other careers, and job descriptions for the top 24 occupations. It provides guidance on how to explore alternative civil service occupations and includes a chapter on how to apply for postal inspector positions. Nancy Ledgerwood, our editor, worked for the postal service for 22 years. She provided an insider’s perspective of their eCareer recruiting system and testing processes.

Featured Exams:

• 473/473E Major Entry Level
• 630/630E Postal Police
• 710/720/725/730 Clerical Battery
• 714 Data Conversion Operator
• 741/744 Accounting
• 916 Custodial
• 943 Automotive Mechanic and Technician
• 955 Mechanical and Electrical Job Skills

Postal employees are interviewed prior to appointment by the selecting official. Chapter Six provides sample questions and detailed guidance on how to successfully handle this often nerve-racking face-to-face encounter.

Professional and administrative occupations do not require written examinations. Your background, work experience and education determine your eligibility for the job. You’ll learn how to locate vacancies and apply for these positions nationwide. Appendix B describes how to prepare your resume and includes examples of Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSA) statements that must be submitted with your application for many of the corporate positions.

Appendix C provides an updated list of Customer Service District Offices that you can contact for test results and to learn when jobs will be advertised in your area. Many who apply for and take postal exams misplace their paperwork and do not know who to contact. These offices can direct you to the right department when you have questions or have to reschedule an exam.

Visit postalwork.net, the companion web site for the new 7th edition, for up-to-date guidance on postal service job options including direct links to the postal service’s recruiting site.

If you are seeking a job with the postal service, you should also be aware of postal employment and testing scams that charge excessive fees. The postal service does not charge application fees and no one can guarantee you a postal or federal job. All jobs are filled competitively.

The average pay and benefits for all postal employees was $77,000 per year in 2018. The largest postal service pay system is predominantly for bargaining unit employees. There is also an Executive Administrative Schedule (EAS) for non-bargaining unit members where pay ranges from $25,619 up to an authorized maximum of $129,792.

If you’re looking for good pay with excellent benefits, explore the postal service job market. Use this book’s resources, including the Job Hunter's Checklist in Appendix A, to begin your personal job search.

Damp is the author of 23 books and writes from first-hand experience: he spent 35 years working for Uncle Sam. Damp's titles have been featured, reviewed and recommended by Library Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. He has appeared on hundreds of radio talk shows and on the CNN 'Your Money' show.