Postmasters and Mail Superintendents

Direct and coordinate operational, administrative, management, and supportive services of a U.S. post office; or coordinate activities of workers engaged in postal and related work in assigned post office.

tasks jobzones knowledge skills abilities work_activities work_context interests work_styles work_values

Tasks

• Confer with suppliers to obtain bids for proposed purchases and to requisition supplies; disburse funds according to federal regulations.

• Select and train postmasters and managers of associate postal units.

• Prepare and submit detailed and summary reports of post office activities to designated supervisors.

• Negotiate labor disputes.

• Inform the public of available services, and of postal laws and regulations.

• Issue and cash money orders.

• Prepare employee work schedules.

• Hire and train employees, and evaluate their performance.

• Resolve customer complaints.

• Collect rents for post office boxes.

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Job Zone

• Name: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

• Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

• Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.

• Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers.

• Examples: These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include funeral directors, electricians, forest and conservation technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents.

• Svp range: (6.0 to < 7.0)

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Knowledge

Browse Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service
  Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

• Education and Training
  Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

• Production and Processing
  Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

• Clerical
  Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

• Administration and Management
  Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

• Computers and Electronics
  Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

• English Language
  Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

• Public Safety and Security
  Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

• Personnel and Human Resources
  Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

• Psychology
  Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

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Skills

Browse Skills

• 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.

• Monitoring
  Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

• Coordination
  Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

• Critical Thinking
  Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

• Reading Comprehension
  Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

• Speaking
  Talking to others to convey information effectively.

• Persuasion
  Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

• Time Management
  Managing one's own time and the time of others.

• Negotiation
  Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

• Service Orientation
  Actively looking for ways to help people.

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Abilities

Browse Abilities

• Oral Expression
  The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

• Oral Comprehension
  The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

• Written Comprehension
  The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

• Written Expression
  The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

• Near Vision
  The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

• Deductive Reasoning
  The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

• Information Ordering
  The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

• Speech Recognition
  The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

• Problem Sensitivity
  The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

• Category Flexibility
  The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

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Work Activities

Browse Work Activities

• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates
  Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.

• Getting Information
  Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

• Coaching and Developing Others
  Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.

• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
  Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
  Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.

• Processing Information
  Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
  Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
  Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.

• Performing Administrative Activities
  Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.

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Work Context

• Face-to-Face Discussions
  How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?

• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?

• Telephone
  How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

• Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
  How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?

• Responsibility for Outcomes and Results
  How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?

• Contact With Others
  How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

• Electronic Mail
  How often do you use electronic mail in this job?

• Time Pressure
  How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?

• Frequency of Decision Making
  How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?

• Work With Work Group or Team
  How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?

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Interests

Browse Interests

• Enterprising
  Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

• Conventional
  Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

• Social
  Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

• Realistic
  Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

• Investigative
  Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

• Artistic
  Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

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Work Styles

• Self Control
  Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

• Dependability
  Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

• Leadership
  Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

• Integrity
  Job requires being honest and ethical.

• Stress Tolerance
  Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.

• Cooperation
  Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

• Adaptability/Flexibility
  Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

• Initiative
  Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

• Achievement/Effort
  Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

• Attention to Detail
  Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

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Work Values

Browse Work Values

• Security
  Workers on this job have steady employment.

• Authority
  Workers on this job give directions and instructions to others.

• Company Policies and Practices
  Workers on this job are treated fairly by the company.

• Working Conditions
  Workers on this job have good working conditions.

• Activity
  Workers on this job are busy all the time.

• Compensation
  Workers on this job are paid well in comparison with other workers.

• Moral Values
  Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

• Responsibility
  Workers on this job make decisions on their own.

• Working Conditions-Mean Extent
  Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.

• Autonomy
  Workers on this job plan their work with little supervision.

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