POST OFFICE JOBS
Post Office Jobs / 473 Postal Exam Study Guide / All Occupations
 

 

• Introduction

• Benefits              

• Qualification Requirements

• Application Procedures   473 Postal Exam

• WARNING - CAUTION (Avoid Scams)

• Postal Clerks & Mail Carriers

• Casual (temporary) Positions - No Test Required - Apply NOW

• Occupation List (Post Office Jobs Partial List)

• Additional Resources (Post Office Jobs)

• Locating Jobs

• 2006 Pay Scales

• Post Office Jobs Career Center (Expanded Postal Service Career Center)

INTRODUCTION

The U. S. Postal Service (USPS) employs over 773,000 workers in 300 job categories for positions at 39,000 post offices, branches, stations, and community post offices throughout the United States. Approximately 40,000 postal workers are hired each year to backfill for retirements, transfers, deaths and employees who choose to leave the Postal Service.

Vacancies are advertised internally by the USPS and not by the Office of Personnel Management. In 1971, the Postal Service became independent. Pay scales are determined by the Postal Pay Act and are not a part of the General Pay Schedule.

Pay starts at $25,554 per year for full time career employees at the PS-1-BB pay grade and increases to $55,275 at the PS-10-P top pay grade. The average pay and benefits for career bargaining unit employees was $57,051 per year, excluding corporate-wide expenses, in 2004. There are also Executive and Administrative Schedules for non-bargaining unit employees that range from $20,875 up to $98,514..

Visit http://postofficejobs.info for more information on this subject.

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BENEFITS

Postal employee benefits are similar to federal employees' benefits which are featured on this site. There are a few differences. Postal workers do pay considerably less for health care benefits than do general schedule federal employees due to negotiated union contracts.

Postal workers can contribute to a 401K Thrift Savings Plan, purchase low cost life insurance and they receive generous holiday, vacation and sick leave allowances. Detailed information about benefits, retirement, qualifications requirements, and pay is included in the paperback version of "Post Office Jobs" by Dennis V. Damp. This book is available at many libraries in their reference section or you can purchase a copy by calling toll free at 1-800-782-7424 for $19.95 plus shipping. All major credit cards are accepted.

EMPLOYEE CLASSIFICATIONS

Initial appointments are either casual (temporary) or Part-Time Flexible (Career). Hourly rates for Part-Time Flexible employees vary depending upon the position's rate schedule. Some positions are filled full-time such as the Maintenance (Custodial) classification.

• Full-Time and Part-Time Flexible (career) employees comprise the Regular Work Force. This category includes security guards. Part-Time Flexible employees are scheduled to work fewer than 40 hours per week and they must be available for flexible work hours as assigned. Part-Time Flexible employees are paid by the hour. Hourly rates vary from $12.29 for PS Grade 1 Step BB to $27.26 for PS Grade 11 step P. 
• A Supplemental Work Force is needed by the Postal Service for peak mail periods and offers casual (temporary) employees two 89-day employment terms in a calendar year. During Christmas an additional 21 days of employment can be offered to Supplemental Work Force employees.

College students may be considered for casual (temporary) employment with the Postal Service during the summer months. The rate of pay now exceeds $11.00 per hour. Tests are not required and appointments can not lead to a career position. Apply early for summer work. Contact Post Offices in your area by no later than February for summer employment applications. Casual temporary positions are also advertised on the Postal Services’ employment web site.

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QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Various standards from age restrictions to physical requirements must be met before you can take one of the Postal Service exams. The paperback version of "Post Office Jobs" provides complete information on the postal Service including:

Age Limit
Entrance Exams, including the new 470 Battery test study guide
Citizenship
Physical Requirements
State Drivers License
Drug Testing (Substance Abuse)

Visit http://postofficejobs.info/job_descriptions.htm for more specifics.

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APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Positions Requiring Written Examinations

The Postal Service has developed a new entrance exam titled Test 473 for Major Entry-Level Jobs. The new exam is also referred to as the 473 Battery Exam. This new exam replaces the 470 Battery Exam. This new exam covers:

Use the practice exams in the all new 4th edition of Post Office Jobs to prepare for the forms checking, address checking, memory and coding Parts A through C of the new exam. Part D is related to your personal work experience and unique characteristics. For example you will be asked your likes and dislikes, whether you have experience in certain areas. You really can't prepare for this section, it's your personal profile and if you answer the questions honestly the Postal Service will be able to identify the job that is best suited to your characteristics. Visit http://postofficejobs.info for complete information on this new exam.

ORDER "Post Office Jobs" Now

I suggest that you also download the "Test 473 Orientation Guide for Major Entry-Level Jobs," Publication 60-A, direct from the U.S. Postal Service. Go to http://usps.com/employment to locate this publication. It provides an overview of the new exam with full instructions.

The USPS maintains a national directory or register of openings. The Postal Service has a decentralized hiring process for personnel and examination related matters. The examinations are administered by examination center personnel from local Customer District Human Resources offices located in most large cities. A comprehensive listing of Customer Service District offices is provided in Chapter Four of the book Post Office Jobs.

To apply for postal positions visit the Postal Services' online employment and job listing site at http://usps.com/employment/  and their test scheduling site at http://uspsapps.hr-service.org/ . Direct links are also posted on http://postofficejobs.info. You can also call 1/478-757-3199 and follow the prompts. You must have the job announcement number to use the phone system. If you don’t have an announcement number, which is readily available for current openings on the Internet, contact your local Post Office, Management Sectional Center (MSC), General Mail Facilities or a Customer Service District Office in your area. You can also obtain computer access to the USPS web site at many local libraries. Job opportunities are also advertised at local post offices, in national and local newspapers, journals and periodicals.

A passing score of 70 percent or better on an exam will place the applicant's name on an eligible register for a period of two years. Registers are lists of job applicants that have passed an exam or evaluation process. Your score determines your placement on the register. Applicants can write to the Postal Examination office for a one-year extension. Requests for extension must be received between the eighteenth-and twenty-fourth month of eligibility. Most people hired have a score of between 90% and 100%. There is a separate register for each job classification. To improve your chances, test for as many different positions that you can qualify for.

Positions That Don’t Require a Written Exam

Vacancies in these positions — generally professional and administrative — are announced (advertised) first within the Postal Service. Postal employees who have the knowledge, education, credentials, and skills may apply for these openings. If there aren’t any qualified internal applicants (called bidders in the federal sector), then the postal service will advertise the vacancies to the general public and accept resumes and applications for rating. All applicants must pass an entrance examination and/or an evaluation process to be placed on a register in numerical score order. Corporate positions that don’t require entrance exams are covered in Appendix B. Also visit http://postofficejobs.info/corporate_jobs.htm for helpful information on non-tested job opportunities. .  

It is generally recommended that job applicants seeking entry level professional and administrative positions take the 470 Battery Exam to get their foot in the door. Once hired, as vacancies open in their specialty such as accounting, budget, and engineering, they will have first crack at the jobs through internal Postal Service job announcements. You can view the diverse lists of job advertisements online, click on http://postofficejobs.info for direct links to key USPS employment sites. There are lists of jobs reserved for current federal employees only. Once you get your foot in the door you can bid on these restricted announcements and the experience that you will gain from the entry level position will help you to better understand the postal system.

Realistically, many professional jobs won’t be filled internally. Few postal clerks and non professional employees will have law degrees, engineering credentials, or doctorates for example. Review the list of more than 2,000 job classifications in Chapter Ten to see the scope of available jobs. This list also includes the total number employed and the pay for that occupation.

These job openings will generally be advertised in local papers and on the USPS web site. You should also contact local (CSSD) Customer Service & Sales District personnel offices listed in Chapter Four to identify upcoming job vacancies for your specialty. You can also call your local CSSD office to check on the status of your application or to follow up on interviews.

You will be rated on a point system (maximum of 100 points) even without a written test. Therefore, your resume and Application For Employment (PS Form 2591) must be thoroughly completed and include all key information such as degrees, training, credentials, and detailed work experience. Only the top three candidates will generally be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

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WARNING - CAUTION (Avoid Scams)

Don't be enticed by Postal Exam scams. YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY ANYONE to schedule or take a federal Postal Exam. To find out if exams are currently being offered in your area go to our "Postal Exams" page and follow the links to the Postal Services' exam site. You apply online through the Postal Service to take a postal exam for your area. We do offer a comprehensive study guide titled "Post Office Jobs: Explore and Find Jobs, Prepare for the 473 Postal Exam, and Locate ALL Job Opportunities"  for $19.95 that you can purchase from us online or at your local book store. If you can't afford our book it should be available at your local library in their reference section. Just make sure they have the new 4th edition that covers the new 473 exams.

Also, explore and apply for all job vacancies in the government and private sectors to improve you chance of employment. You can post your resume online at no cost to expand your job search.

FREE OFFER: Click on the following banner to post your resume.