Postperson

Job Description:

Sort letters and packages for delivery.

Job Category:

Government & Public Services

See Government & Public Services jobs Practice Video Interview

What you will do:

Your day-to-day duties may include:

sorting mail on a sorting frame, getting it into address order
operating automated equipment
delivering mail on foot, by a bicycle or by van
getting customer signatures for registered post and recorded deliveries
picking up mail from post boxes, post offices and businesses
dealing with wrongly addressed or returned mail
moving mail to and from processing centres, delivery offices, railway stations and airports

You may have extra duties if you work in a rural area.

Skills:

You’ll need:

knowledge of English language
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

As well as:

to be thorough and pay attention to detail (organisational skills)
the ability to work on your own (drive)
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations (leadership skills)
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
the ability to work well with others (teamwork skills)
excellent verbal communication skills
customer service skills

Illustration of employee looking at workspace

Entry Requirements:

There are no set requirements, but your interview will include aptitude tests. These are to check that you can read addresses correctly and recognise misaddressed mail.

You’ll have to be physically fit, as delivery rounds (walks) can take three-to-four hours. You’ll be carrying bags that can weigh up to 16kg.

You’ll need a full driving licence to work as a delivery driver.

Another way to get into this job is through seasonal work, which usually starts around September each year.

You’ll usually need your own transport to get to and from work, as you may not be able to get public transport to suit your shift times.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

Working Hours and Environment:

You’ll usually be based in a district delivery office, and have a round or ‘walk’ covering several hundred addresses.

You could also work in a larger mail processing centre, dealing with incoming and outgoing mail for delivery across the country and overseas.

Career Path & Progression:

You could work for a licensed mail operator.

With experience, you could be promoted to higher grades like supervisor and manager. You could move into parcel deliveries, courier jobs or customer care and administration.