According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer-controlled keyboards or voice-recognition equipment. | 91% |
| Check items to ensure that addresses are legible and correct, that sufficient postage has been paid or the appropriate documentation is attached, and that items are in a suitable condition for processing. | 89% |
| Clear jams in sorting equipment. | 88% |
| Bundle, label, and route sorted mail to designated areas, depending on destinations and according to established procedures and deadlines. | 88% |
| Operate various types of equipment, such as computer scanning equipment, addressographs, mimeographs, optical character readers, and bar-code sorters. | 86% |
| Move containers of mail, using equipment, such as forklifts and automated "trains". | 85% |
| Open and label mail containers. | 85% |
| Load and unload mail trucks, sometimes lifting containers of mail onto equipment that transports items to sorting stations. | 84% |
| Sort odd-sized mail by hand, sort mail that other workers have been unable to sort, and segregate items requiring special handling. | 81% |
| Distribute incoming mail into the correct boxes or pigeonholes. | 81% |
| Rewrap soiled or broken parcels. | 81% |
| Train new workers. | 81% |
| Dump sacks of mail onto conveyors for culling and sorting. | 80% |
| Search directories to find correct addresses for redirected mail. | 79% |
| Weigh articles to determine required postage. | 78% |
| Cancel letter or parcel post stamps by hand. | 75% |
| Accept and check containers of mail from large volume mailers, couriers, and contractors. | 74% |
