Mail Handler Resume Example
Pursuing a career as a mail handler provides opportunities for career progression and responsibilities involving loading USPS trucks and sorting incoming mail. For a successful mail handler application, you'll want to submit a professional resume that showcases your relevant skills. In this article, we'll explain how to write a winning resume for mail handler applications that best showcases your skills and experience.
This complete guide to a mail handler resume will equip you with the tools you need to compete in your applications. The guide will show you practical examples of how to structure your resume to show off your best and most relevant skills and career achievements. It will also show you how to tailor your resume according to the job description and your unique skill set. Read on to learn the tips Jobseeker careers experts recommend as the best for your mail handler resume.
Key sections for a mail handler resume
A successful mail handler resume will typically include each of the sections listed below, with some optional sections. If you're an entry-level candidate without much work experience, that section may be less prominent in your resume. You may focus instead on sections that showcase your skill set, such as education, projects, hobbies and hard and soft skills lists.
How you choose to present your resume is up to you. There are plenty of options for a professional resume layout and format, but every application should include the following:
Resume Header and Personal Information
Your mail handler resume header should contain your name and contact details. These include your email address and phone number. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can also add that, to give employers the chance to learn more about your skills and experience. It's not necessary to include a photo or any other personal information. Make sure your resume header is as brief as possible and doesn't take up too much valuable space. Choose a clear, professional design that sets the tone for your application.
Make sure your email address appears as professional as possible, and doesn't include anything like nicknames, inappropriate language or personal information. If it does, set up a new email account with an address based on your name or initials, and use that for your job applications. Always double-check your contact details are up-to-date before sending your resume.
Gary Castillo
gary.castillo@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
308 Negra Arroyo Lane, Albuquerque, NM
linkedin․com/in/gary–castillo123
Resume Summary
In your resume summary, write a short paragraph that highlights two or three of your key achievements and skills for mail handler roles. You could also call this section 'resume objective' or 'personal profile'. A resume summary covers your career experience to date, while a resume objective focuses more on your ambitions for the future. Additionally, make sure your resume summary reflects the job description and focuses on qualities that are relevant to working as a mail handler.
Alternatively, focus on introducing your career ambitions, and why this role is a good fit, both for you and the organization.
A good resume summary is short and snappy, and focused on the skills and experience listed in the job description, with evidence to back it up. It will also help the reader to form their first impressions of you by providing an insight into your personality and unique qualities. See below for some great examples of what to include in your mail handler resume summary.
Good example:
Experienced Mail Handler with a background as a Logistics Coordinator, skilled in efficient package handling, inventory management, and route optimization. Proven ability to streamline operations, enhance delivery accuracy, and ensure timely distribution of mail and packages. Strong organizational and problem-solving skills with a commitment to maintaining high standards of service
Bad example:
Mail handler with some experience in logistics and handling packages. Worked in roles where I managed inventory and planned routes. Have worked on improving operations and making sure mail and packages are delivered on time. Focused on staying organized and solving problems while keeping service quality high
Alternatively, a poor resume summary would include bland, generic information that does little to prove your suitability for the role, while failing to provide any useful insights on you as a person or as a candidate. See above for some examples of things to avoid when writing your mail handler resume summary.
Skills
The skills section is one of the main ways to show employers you've got the skills required for mail handler roles. Whether your skills include operating mail machinery, communication skills or any other useful skills for the role, you'll want to list them here. Again, refer to the job description and make sure you include skills that the employer has listed as essential or desirable for employment as a mail handler.
Listing hard skills on your mail handler resume
In your hard skills list, include any specific abilities related to the role you're applying for. These could be technical skills or industry knowledge that showcases your expertise in your chosen profession. Furthermore, your hard skills list helps to show employers how competent and experienced you are at key mail handler duties and responsibilities. Aim to include four or five key hard skills. If you have space, explain how and where you've used that skill to create successful outcomes in your career. These skills will demonstrate your credentials and show how you meet the job description.
You'll make more impact with your resume hard skills list if you focus on technical skills that reflect your unique expertise and specialism, and that match the key requirements in the job description. See the graphic below for some tips on hard skills for a mail handler resume.
- Sorting mail items
- Operating mail machinery
- Data entry proficiency
Soft skills on your mail handler resume
Soft skills are the personal skills and qualities that make you a good fit for the job. They include transferable skills and strengths that help you settle into the role, adapt to new challenges and build effective working relationships. Indeed, as the nature of work changes, soft skills are growing in importance, so make sure you include them in your resume. It's best to aim for four or five soft skills that match the job description and reflect your strongest personal qualities.
The strongest resume soft skills sections include a mix of skills that match your best personal strengths, and that reflect the skills listed in the job description. See below for some examples of effective soft skills for a mail handler resume.
- Time management skills
- Attention to detail
- Communication skills
Education and Qualifications
Under education, add details of any degrees or professional qualifications relevant to mail handler roles.
Candidates aren't usually required to have a degree for mail handler positions, but it's still worth listing your highest or most relevant qualifications. If you have a recognized certification or qualification, such as HAZMAT Handling Certification, be sure to include this. You might also want to include any educational achievements that showcase data entry proficiency or operating mail machinery.
Enter the name and level of the qualification, the institution you studied at, its location and your dates of study or graduation. If you have space, include some bullet points outlining any specialist areas of study, awards or high grades, so the employer can learn more about your unique skill set and knowledge.
Membership or leadership of any societies, clubs or causes while studying can also make a positive impression on hiring managers. Consider adding these to your education section for more insight into how you used your time as a student.
Logistics and Supply Chain Management, 2017 - 2020
University of South Carolina, Columbia
Certifications
In your certifications section, list any professional certifications or licenses that are relevant to working as a mail handler. You could list accreditations for certain professional roles or licenses for certain activities that help to make you a strong candidate. Therefore, list any official licenses and certifications, along with their dates, so employers can assess whether you've got the necessary qualifications to work as a mail handler.
Read on to see some relevant example certifications for a mail handler resume:
- OSHA Safety Certification, 2022
- Forklift Operator Certification, 2022
- HAZMAT Handling Certification, 2022
Work Experience
Your resume work experience section is the chance to show your relevant previous jobs and career achievements as a mail handler. Mention only the most appropriate and relevant jobs you've had in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent and working backwards. Add your job title, the name of the employer, the location of the role and your dates of employment.
For each job listed in this section, add some bullet points so the employer can understand the skills you developed, and your achievements. Focus on showcasing the impact you made on the organization, and show evidence of how you made a difference.
The best resume work experience sections focus only on the most relevant previous jobs, and link each bullet point back to a skill or experience listed in the job description. It's also critical to provide evidence that shows the value you added to each role in a quantifiable way, such as project outcomes, key performance indicators or feedback from customers, colleagues or managers. Take a look at the examples below for some guidance on what works best for your work experience section.
Good example:
Logistics Coordinator, January 2022 - Present
SwiftParcel Solutions, Phoenix
- Successfully reduced shipping costs by 15% through strategic vendor negotiations and optimized transportation routes over a 12-month period
- Implemented a real-time inventory tracking system, improving order accuracy and reducing stock discrepancies by 25%
- Coordinated the on-time delivery of over 1,000 shipments annually, achieving a 98% on-time delivery rate
Bad example:
Logistics Coordinator, January 2022 - Present
SwiftParcel Solutions, Phoenix
- Managed various shipping tasks efficiently to enhance operational performance
- Contributed to inventory management improvements
- Assisted in coordinating timely deliveries for enhanced customer satisfaction
In the graphic above you can see a great example of what to avoid when writing your resume work experience section. Ineffective work experience sections tend to focus too much on everyday responsibilities over skills and achievements. If you use vague descriptions of activities and fail to back up your achievements with evidence, you're likely to fail to make an impact on the reader.
Jobseeker Tip:
Additional Information
To provide further information on your suitability for the role, you could add some optional sections to a mail handler resume. Choose any optional sections that showcase essential or desirable skills or experience for mail handler jobs.
Personal Hobbies and Interests
Hobbies and interests can be a useful way of showing your skills and experience beyond your work and education. Hobbies can help you show different sides of your personality and make your resume more memorable to hiring managers. They're ideal to include if you're a junior candidate who might lack real world mail handler experience. Just make sure any hobbies and interests you include in your resume add genuine insight into your personality, in ways other sections of the resume can't.
Volunteer Experience
This section can be valuable for a mail handler resume, if you've done any voluntary work that showcases your relevant skills. Include the title of your volunteer role, who you volunteered for, as well as the dates you carried out the work. Provide brief details of your responsibilities and the impact you made.
References
It's relatively unusual to include references in a standard mail handler resume, but they are required occasionally. Check the job advert to see if you'll need to add references to your resume. Before adding any referees to your resume, ask them for their assistance and prepare them for contact by the employer.
References are available upon request.
Best action words for your mail handler resume
Using strong action words to make your resume resonate with the employer. Choose from the list of words below to make the best possible impression.
- Sorted
- Distributed
- Delivered
- Organized
- Processed
- Scanned
- Loaded
- Unloaded
- Verified
- Maintained
If you want to create a resume that stands out from the crowd, use Jobseeker's expert-designed resume templates. You can also find cover letter templates that work to get you noticed by employers.
Sample mail handler resume
Now that you know everything that needs to go into your mail handler resume, let's review an example resume that you can use as a guide when creating your own:
308 Negra Arroyo Lane, Albuquerque, NM
•
gary.castillo@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/gary–castillo123
Experienced Mail Handler with a proven background as a Logistics Coordinator, skilled in managing mail operations, coordinating logistics, and ensuring timely delivery. Adept at optimizing workflows, maintaining inventory accuracy, and utilizing strong organizational skills to improve efficiency. Demonstrates excellent attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and a commitment to providing exceptional service in fast-paced environments
Logistics Coordinator
2020
-2022
SwiftLink Logistics (Henderson)
- Successfully reduced shipping costs by 15% through process optimization and strategic carrier negotiations over a 12-month period
- Implemented an automated inventory tracking system, resulting in a 30% reduction in stock discrepancies and improved order accuracy
- Coordinated international supply chain operations, ensuring 98% on-time delivery performance and enhancing customer satisfaction across multiple regions
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
2017
-2020
University of South Carolina (Columbia)
Sorting mail items
Operating mail machinery
Data entry proficiency
Time management skills
Attention to detail
Communication skills
OSHA Safety Certification
Forklift Operator Certification
English - Fluent
Spanish - B2
Tips for mail handler resumes
Tips to write the best resume
- Quantify your successes by providing figures and other evidence that shows how your skills have made a difference to your employer.
- Use action verbs to showcase how you've put your mail handler skills to use in your career (e.g. 'sorted', 'distributed', 'delivered').
- Showcase your key mail handler qualities with a strong resume summary or objective to catch the attention of the reader.
- Keep your mail handler resume as brief as possible. A single page is ideal for junior applicants, while two sides is acceptable for senior jobs.
- Tailor your resume to make it as relevant as possible to the role you're applying for. Consult the job description and adapt your resume to reflect the required skills and experience.
Keep away from these common resume mistakes
- Don't fill up your mail handler resume with unnecessary information that contributes nothing to your chances of success.
- Don't list work experience that has no relation to the role you're applying for. It wastes space and is unlikely to impress hiring managers.
- Don't forget to keep your contact information up to date, to ensure the employer can contact you if necessary.
- Don't add hobbies and outside interests unless they help you prove a skill required for the role.
- Don't use an email address that contains unprofessional content, and if necessary create a new, more professional email address.
How to make your resume ATS compliant
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are one of the key ways recruiters and employers manage the hiring process. The systems can screen candidates by scanning and ranking resumes based on each candidate's likely suitability for the vacancy. When you're writing your mail handler resume, there are several things you can do to make sure your resume stands the best chance of passing the ATS stage.
Follow these guidelines to create the best ATS-friendly resume:
- Opt for an established, traditional resume format such as a reverse-chronological or functional structure. These will ensure your resume includes all the necessary details ATS systems scan for.
- Add keywords throughout your resume that help ATS software match your application to the job description. A higher match means your application is more likely to proceed to be reviewed by human eyes.
- Using clear, simple headings makes it easier for an ATS application to scan your resume, as it can easily identify what's in each section of your document.
- Adopt a clean, unfussy design that gives your content enough white space to breathe. Use professional, readable fonts and subtle use of color and other design elements.
- Make sure your resume is as concise as possible, so ATS applications can easily scan and identify the required details.
For advice and guidance on creating the perfect resume, read our expert career blog and check out our detailed resume examples.
Frequently Asked Questions for a mail handler resume
Now that you know how to write a professional mail handler resume, you might also want to learn how to write an accompanying cover letter that makes a similar impact.
Check the job description to see whether a full, formal cover letter is necessary. In some situations, it might be more suitable to simply send a brief email to introduce yourself and accompany your resume.
For a full, traditional cover letter, follow formal letter-writing conventions with your header, address line and greetings. The main text of the letter tends to be split into three short paragraphs. Firstly, introduce yourself, confirm the role you're applying for and explain why you're applying for the mail handler role. In the second paragraph, highlight your skills and experience that are most relevant to the job description. The third paragraph gives you the opportunity to express your enthusiasm for the role and your gratitude to the employer, while leaving a call to action which encourages them to make contact with you.
You can create a professional cover letter in just a few simple, easy-to-follow steps using Jobseeker's tried and tested cover letter templates.
As an experienced mail handler, you'll want your resume to showcase all of your relevant experience and achievements. As a mail handler with a wealth of experience, you'll want to showcase this in your work history section. Consider going back beyond the standard 10 to 15 years of employment history to show employers your experience levels. Include any optional sections that help to show your credentials and reputation in your industry. These could include awards, achievements and successful projects you've been involved in.
Use a resume headline to make it easy for the reader to start assessing your suitability for mail handler positions at first glance. A well-constructed resume headline can help your resume rank highly with ATS screening tools by referencing some of the key information from the job description. Write a concise headline including the job title, a reference to your experience or track record and one or two key skills.
You can use this example resume headline as a template for creating your own:
- Efficient Junior Mail Handler Specialist
- Efficient and Reliable Mail Handler
- Experienced Senior Mail Handler
The best format for your resume depends on two key factors. Firstly, the amount of relevant work experience you have. Secondly, the type of role and its level of seniority. If you're applying for a junior position or changing careers, you might want to consider a functional resume. This highlights your skills and education over your work experience. Once you have some relevant work experience, and for senior positions, a reverse chronological resume format is typically best. This emphasizes your work experience, which will probably be the key thing employers want to know about.
Key points for your mail handler resume
The best resumes focus on your skills and the value you've added to previous roles, rather than focusing on your duties and responsibilities. Choose a resume structure that makes the most of your relevant experience, whether through work or other activities, and be sure to tailor your resume to match the job description.
Remember, Jobseeker resume templates and other tools make it easy to create a resume and cover letter that leaves a positive impression on hiring managers. Sign up now to start building your perfect resume. Jobseeker's expert-designed cover letter generator can help your applications make a strong first impression on hiring managers. Find detailed cover letter examples to complement your resume and get your application noticed.
Sources:
(1) Writing a Resume, California Department of Human Resources: https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/resume-tips.aspx
(2) Resumes, Cover Letters and Job Applications, New York State Department of Labor: https://dol.ny.gov/resumes-cover-letters-and-job-applications
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