All types of mail clerk jobs tend to have the same basic job description, though the place of employment may fluctuate. Most mail clerks work for companies or corporations, though some mail clerks might also be hired by private individuals. The main role of a mail clerk is to sort, distribute, categorize, and handle all mail that is sent to a particular location.
Mail clerk jobs can be found within government agencies, insurance companies, schools, firms, and nearly every other type of business that sends and receives a large amount of mail. In addition to regular mail distribution and receiving tasks, mail clerks may also be asked to prepare and send mail. Thus, a certain amount of postal knowledge is often required.
A regular workday for a mail clerk consists of piling and arranging mail upon a cart, and following a specific route in order to hand out mail to various company employees. On occasion, a mail clerk might have to travel between buildings in order to complete daily tasks. Although rare, some mail clerks may also be asked to travel outside of an office space in order to send or collect mail.
Mail clerks must possess positive social skills, since a large portion of this job requires constant interaction with people. In addition, mail clerks should have excellent organizational skills that can be put to positive use. Some companies also require mail clerks to weigh, stamp, and apply correct postage to mail. Mail clerk jobs that leave all mail-related costs up to the discretion of a mail clerk are often harder to obtain,since applying the wrong postage can cost a company money.
Educationally, mail clerks do not need to have extensive academic training or certification. Still, most mail clerks do have a high school diploma. Since the vast majority of mail clerk training will be learned on the job, most high school graduates with little experience can obtain a mail clerk position.
Many mail clerk jobs can be found by searching through job websites, though some high school job placement departments will be able to assist recent graduates with finding a mail clerk position. Government mail clerk jobs can only be acquired through the successful completion of a civil servant examination.
Current mail clerk jobs are heavily reliant upon computer systems, and various mail-related computer programs. People wishing to gain employment as a mail clerk should have basic computer skills, and be able to use basic computer software.