Career Shadowing

1
Career Shadowing

• Will Keels

2
United Service (USPS) States Postal
Rural Mail Carrier
3
Typical Duties of Occupation

• Carry mail to mailboxes of residents and business
  and deliver it in a timely manner.
• Keep track of all mail and dont lose any of it.
• Sort mail into categories (different routes,
  business, rural homes) at the post office.
• Operate mail sorting machines.

4
Working Conditions

• Pleasant office environment.
• All kinds of weather, sometimes dangerous Rain,
  sleet, snow, fog, high temperatures, tornados,
  hurricanes, and Tsunamis.

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Mental Abilities and Aptitudes

• Skilled driver.
• Good memory.
• Good organization skills.

6
Education/Training Required

• No education required.
• USPS provides training for new employees.
• Must pass examination. Competitive process to be
  employed.

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Current and Projected Job Outlook

• Employment of Postal Service workers is expected
  to experience little or no change through 2016.
  Still, many jobs will become available for mail
  carriers because of the need to replace those who
  retire or leave their job.

8
Interview

• What is your job description?
• Sort and organize mail and deliver it to the
  correct addresses.
• How long is your work day?
• It varies, ranging from between 8 to 10 hours,
  depending on the work load and how smoothly
  things go.

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• What are your major responsibilities?
• Some of the more important responsibilities are
  making sure the mail gets to the right address
  and making sure it all gets delivered. The
  American public trusts the USPS to handle their
  mail, so in order to keep that trust, all the
  mail must be delivered to the right place on
  time.
• What is your favorite part of your job?
• Being a vital part of the community is very
  rewarding. Providing such a crucial service makes
  the job worthwhile. And the pay isnt bad either.

10

• Least favorite?
• The work is very tiresome. Some days there is
  just so much mail that you spend all day driving.
  Being a rural mail carrier means you are driving
  much farther than an urban carrier. We are
  reimbursed for the gas used, but it puts a lot of
  wear and tear on our vehicles.
• Do you plan on working here for a long time?
• Yes, I plan on making a career out of carrying
  mail. It is stable since it is a government
  funded organization and the pay raises are almost
  guaranteed.

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• How many days a week do you work?
• It depends. Sometimes 3 days and sometimes 6. It
  depends on how many people are available to work
  and on the amount of mail.
• Do you feel like you have job security?
• Yes. As I said before, the USPS is a government
  funded organization, and as long as people have
  something to mail, I will have a job.

12

• What made you interested in becoming a mail
  carrier?
• I was a homemaker before I started delivering
  mail, and when we needed more income I started
  looking for a local, well paying job that did not
  need a bachelors degree. One of my friends, who
  works for the USPS, told me of her job and I
  decided to get certified. It took a lot of
  studying, but I passed the test.

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My Thoughts

• I enjoyed the interview a lot. I learned about
  something that I use all the time but knew
  nothing about. I have always liked learning how
  things work so this was an interesting
  experience. I dont think Ill pursue a career as
  a mail carrier because I have plans to join the
  United States Navy already, but after retirement
  I might be interested in working for the United
  States Postal Service.