Relatively few people become postal clerks or mail carriers as their first jobs.
Qualification is based on an examination.
Because of the large number of qualified applicants, keen competition is expected. Each week, the U.S. Postal Service delivers billions of pieces of mail, including letters, bills, advertisements, and packages. To do this in an efficient and timely manner, the Postal Service employs about 900,000 individuals, almost two-thirds of whom are postal clerks or mail carriers. Postal clerks wait on customers and ensure that mail is properly collected, sorted, and paid for, whereas mail carriers deliver mail to urban and rural residences and businesses throughout the United States. Postal clerks, who are typically classified by job duties, perform a variety of functions in the Nation's post offices.