Create an Account  Tips & Instructions There are nine steps, listed below, involved in creating an online account or profile. We will first discuss tips for creating your account and then discuss each step individually.

• Registration

• Personal Data

• Work Experience

• Education / Training

• General Eligibility

• Veterans Preference

• Attachments

• Assessments

• Review & Release

The first thing we need to do is review some important tips that could make the difference between success and failure.

Tip 1 - You must complete each step

You are required to go through every step in order providing the specific info requested. Some items are mandatory, and others are optional. You must provide details for every mandatory item. If you skip a mandatory item, you cannot progress any farther or submit the application. You should reply to the optional items as well if applicable.

Tip 2 - Save frequently

Click the “Save” button every time you see it. Use every opportunity to save. If your computer shuts down for any reason, if you are timed out for inactivity, or if anything similar happens, all the information that you entered since the last save will be lost.

Tip 3 - Do not get timed out

If the “Create an Account” function remains inactive for 30 minutes, you will be timed out, it will automatically close, and you will lose all unsaved work. Gather needed information and documents in advance so you are not forced to leave the application inactive while searching for them. One benefit of this guide is that you can use it as a checklist for gathering everything required before you start. (Note: Since the new eCareer system was launched, various Postal publications have stated that this period of inactivity was anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes. Recent publications have consistently said 30 minutes, and our experiences seem to confirm this. But do not press your luck. Keep any periods of inactivity as brief as possible.)

Tip 4 - KSAs

“KSA” is an acronym for Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. What other employers refer to as a skill-set, the Postal Service calls a KSA. Different jobs call for different KSAs. Job postings are supposed to include KSAs but rarely do. Whether they tell you about the KSAs or not, however, you are expected demonstrate mastery of relevant KSAs in your profile, in your application, and in the interview. Where are you supposed to describe your mastery of the KSAs? As appropriate, include KSA information in the Work Experience and Education & Training sections of your profile. We will discuss this KSA topic more as we cover the various sections of the account.

Registration

To begin the process, go to the U.S. Postal Service website at usps.com, click the “Careers” link at the bottom left corner of the page, click the “Ready to Apply?” link when you land on the next page, and finally click the “Create an Account” link on the third page you reach. This will take you to the Registration page where you choose a username and password. (Note: Postal website changes may result in these links being revised over time. If so, go to usps.com and look for a careers or jobs link and proceed from there.)

Personal Data This section is quick and easy. All you do is enter your name, mailing address, email address, and phone numbers.

Work Experience Entering information about your current and/or prior employers is not terribly demanding, but there are some important points you should bear in mind.

• You must include your work history for at least the last five years even if this was before your 16th birthday. You may count military service, internships, and

part-time or full-time volunteer work as part of your work history.

• Date gaps are not acceptable. If you were out of work for a period of time,

make an entry with “Unemployed” as the company name and include a beginning and ending date along with any appropriate comments. If you were

unemployed because you were in school for a period of time, make a similar

entry with “Student / Unemployed” as the company name.

• Try to enter accurate information. If you do not have exact dates, estimate as

closely as possible. If it is not possible to obtain requested information, enter

“unknown” as a response. If a former employer is no longer in business, enter

“out of business”.

• To assure that you have all needed records on hand before starting, be aware

that your salary and the name and phone number of your supervisor are

required for current and prior employers in addition to business addresses.

• You can include an unlimited number of former employers. Every time you click the “Add” button, it opens a new form for entering info on another employer.

• The “Grade Level” field is only applicable to government jobs and can be left

blank for non-government jobs.

• Use the “Description” box to describe job responsibilities, etc. As mentioned

earlier, this is one of the spots where you can demonstrate mastery of KSAs

associated with the job you seek.

• When you finish entering/editing info for a job or period of unemployment, click “Save”. This will save your info and condense it into the Work Experience

table with only key details displayed.

Education / Training This section is managed very similarly to how we handled Work Experience. Click “Add” to open a form for a new entry, click “Save” when finished with that entry, and click “Edit” to revise or correct information already entered. Again, you can include an unlimited number of entries. And again, this is an area where you can demonstrate KSAs. As you enter details on education and training, focus on how they contributed to mastery of particular KSAs and how they relate to the job description provided in the posting. Every time you finish an entry, click “Save”.

General Eligibility

This is a simple section where you just reply to six questions to assure that you are indeed eligible for Postal employment. There is one potential issue for males born after December 31, 1959. If you fit this description you must confirm that you have registered with the Selective Service System by providing your Selective Service Number. You can get your Selective Service Number on the Selective Service System website at sss.gov by entering your identifying info. If you fit this description and have not registered, you must register and obtain a Selective Service Number before you can apply for a Postal job.

Veterans Preference If you are not a military veteran, answer “No” to all questions. If you are military veteran, answer the questions, enter your service information, and upload the requested supporting documents.

Attachments A statement in this section says: “If the vacancy announcement requests supporting documents, please attach them here. If an attachment is not specifically requested, it may not be considered.” Some professional corporate jobs (engineering, healthcare, etc.) may request that certifications, diplomas, or similar documents be

attached, but attachments are not requested for normal entry level jobs.

You should, however, attach your resume at this point. Postal publications say you should include a resume when applying, but they do not say where, and the application instructions never tell you where you could or should attach a resume. This is where you should. You should also attach awards or certifications from prior jobs that relate to the job description.

You can find much info online about writing resumes. You should do some research and find a good format to use to assure an attractive and professional looking resume with relevant content. As we all know, first impressions are critical. Your resume is really what makes your first impression, and you want it to be a great one.

Assessments The Postal Service calls their exams “Assessments”. There are two important points on this page you need to know about:

• Your candidate ID number is displayed on this page. The candidate ID number is extremely important. You need to make a note of this number. Do not lose it!

You will need to use this number for taking exams and other functions.

• This page is where your test scores are recorded. Every time you take an exam, the results will be recorded and displayed on this page.

Review & Release When reaching this section, the screen is cut in half. The bottom half is a PDF view of your Candidate Overview, which is simply a recap of all the information you just entered. You are to review this information for accuracy. If there is an error, you should go back to the proper section to make corrections. You can save a copy of and/or print the Candidate Overview if desired. If everything is correct, complete the registration process as described below.

At the top of the screen, there are two actions to be taken. First you must choose whether to “Release” or “Lock” your profile. If you

Release it and if you do not get the job that you are now applying for, the Postal Service can attempt to match you with other suitable job opportunities at any time and contact you if such a match is found. If you Lock it, the Postal Service will only consider you for jobs that you specifically apply for. For most people, releasing your profile is obviously the better choice.

The second action to be taken at the top of the screen, and the final step of the registration process, is to click the “Complete” button if everything on your Candidate Overview is accurate. If all is not correct, you can go back to the various steps to edit the info. Once you click “Complete”, your registration is indeed complete. But even then you can still go back to edit the info.

You now have an online eCareer account. You will receive a confirming email message almost immediately bearing the subject “Acknowledge Candidate”. For your convenience, included in this message are your user name and candidate ID number. You are now ready to start searching and applying for jobs.

Using Your Account When you want to return to your eCareer account, login using the username and password you selected.  While in your account, there are a number of tools available as described below:

Under the Candidate Profile tab, you can …

• View your profile.

• Edit your profile.

• Click the “View Roadmap” button for easier navigation.

• Check your exam scores.

• Change your username.

• Delete your registration.

Under the Job Opportunities tab, you can …

• Search for jobs while logged in which enables you to submit applications more

easily.

• Save search queries.

• Save “Favorite” job postings.

• Review and check status of your applications.

• Complete unfinished applications.

• Delete/withdraw applications.