43-5051.00 · Learning planner
Postal Service Clerks: a task-based learning plan
Perform any combination of tasks in a United States Postal Service (USPS) post office, such as receive letters and parcels; sell postage and revenue stamps, postal cards, and stamped envelopes; fill out and sell money orders; place mail in pigeon holes of mail rack or in bags; and examine mail for correct postage. Includes postal service clerks employed by USPS contractors.
Explore the complete task inventory first →
Understand the profile before choosing priorities
The table shows the ten highest importance ratings among 30 skills with usable ratings. Skills tied on importance can share a rank. Importance (1–5) and level (0–7) describe different dimensions. A level of 4 is not 4/7 of a course, and neither scale is your personal score. Source dates refer to the underlying rating, not the database release date.
| Skill | Importance / 5 | Level / 7 | Rating date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.38 | 3.12 | 07/2016 · Analyst |
| Speaking | 3.25 | 3.00 | 07/2016 · Analyst |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.12 | 3.12 | 07/2016 · Analyst |
| Service Orientation | 3.12 | 3.00 | 07/2016 · Analyst |
| Critical Thinking | 3.00 | 3.25 | 07/2016 · Analyst |
| Time Management | 3.00 | 2.62 | 07/2016 · Analyst |
| Monitoring | 3.00 | 2.50 | 07/2016 · Analyst |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.00 | 2.38 | 07/2016 · Analyst |
| Writing | 2.88 | 3.00 | 07/2016 · Analyst |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.88 | 2.12 | 07/2016 · Analyst |
Anchor the plan in an actual task
Choose one reported task you want to understand better. Then choose one to three skills and describe an appropriate learning activity, evidence you will review and a date. For practical work requiring authorization, choose relevant coursework, observation or supervised training.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for postal service clerks.
Level 4: Answer inquiries regarding credit references
Level 2: Take a customer's order
What would you ask the other person to clarify, and how would you confirm you understood?
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for postal service clerks.
Level 2: Greet tourists and explain tourist attractions
Level 4: Interview applicants to obtain personal and work history
How would you explain the task, audience needs and next step in a short conversation?
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for postal service clerks.
Level 4: Understand an email from management describing new personnel policies
Level 2: Read step-by-step instructions for completing a form
Which instruction, constraint or exception in a document would you need to explain accurately?
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for postal service clerks.
Level 2: Ask customers if they would like a cup of coffee
Level 4: Make flight reservations for customers using an online booking site
What does the person receiving the work need, and how would you confirm the need was met?
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for postal service clerks.
Level 4: Evaluate customer complaints and determine appropriate responses
Level 2: Determine whether a subordinate has a good excuse for being late
What assumption could change your conclusion, and what evidence would you check first?
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for postal service clerks.
Level 2: Keep a monthly calendar of appointments
Level 4: Allocate the time of subordinates to projects for the coming week
What needs to happen first, where is the deadline, and what would you do if time runs short?
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for postal service clerks.
Level 2: Proofread and correct a letter
Level 4: Monitor a meeting and revise the agenda to ensure important topics are discussed
What result or exception would you inspect during the task, and when would you revisit it?
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for postal service clerks.
Level 2: Notice that customers are angry because they have been waiting too long
Level 4: Be aware of how a coworker's promotion will affect a work group
What perspective or concern might another person bring to this task?
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for postal service clerks.
Level 2: Write down a guest's order at a restaurant
Level 4: Write an email to staff outlining new directives
What document would another person need, and how would you check that they could act on it?
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for postal service clerks.
Level 2: Decide how scheduling a break will affect work flow
Level 4: Evaluate a loan application for degree of risk
Which options, constraints and consequences would you compare, and what could change the choice?
Review the result
Your plan should explain why the selected skills matter for your chosen task, what you will do next and what evidence you will examine. Revisit the plan after that activity. Completing a worksheet or matching an occupation’s ratings does not establish professional competence.
Keep your worksheet
Download before leaving this page. Unsaved writing remains only in the page and is cleared on refresh. Notes and learning actions are not sent to a server. This guide describes an occupation and supports study planning; it does not provide clinical, legal or equipment-operating procedures.
Source and practice material
Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.
Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.