Skills
Postal Mail Carrier Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in postal mail carriers, and how to build and show them.
What skills do postal mail carriers need?
Postal Mail Carriers need technical skills such as mail sorting, route navigation, and safe vehicle operation, plus people skills like reliability and customer service. They also use tools such as Postal delivery vehicles and Handheld scanners.
Technical (hard) skills
- Mail sorting
- Route navigation
- Safe vehicle operation
- Scanner use
- Package handling
- Postal procedures
People (soft) skills
- Reliability
- Customer service
- Stamina
- Independence
Tools, equipment and technology
- Postal delivery vehicles
- Handheld scanners
- Mail satchels and carts
- Keys for apartment boxes
- Dog spray issued by USPS
- Route maps
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how postal mail carriers put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Mail sorting” and “Route navigation.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “reliability,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Valid driver’s license near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our postal mail carrier glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Postal Mail Carrier training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.