Mail is the lifeblood of the modern college campus and is the
vessel through which most recruiting, fundraising, business
dealings, and informational communication efforts flow.
(Imagine the consequences if mail not sent/received in a timely,
efficient, and safe manner!)
The Mail Center is, as often as not, the Rodney Dangerfield
of all college departments - they "don't get no respect."
But this perception in today's society is not accurate.
The Mail Center has become a computer technical and labor intense
running department.
Today's college/university mail-handlers are not transient employees.
They represent a new standard of professionalism, that does
not indicate entry-level mobility, but instead, a career position
in mail distribution.
The Mail Services Specialist must have unique social and physical
skills to succeed in this field, and many persons employed elsewhere
on campus would not last a week working in Mail Services.
The employees must be dependable. There are many jobs
where the workload is variable and tardiness and absenteeism
go virtually unnoticed. Not so in the mail business. Our
workload is constant and time-sensitive. The work cycle
continues on weekends, holidays, and snow days, making it endless
in nature and impossible to put aside.
Mail Services employees must be physically strong, agile and
have endurance. What other department demands the physical
stamina of standing for hours, sorting, metering, lifting and
processing packages, working the window, and lifting and
hauling packages and mail to departments every day.
The employees must have a working knowledge of the various kinds
of mail system computers. Mail demands today require faster
processing with less labor time.
Employees need to be flexible. The Mail Department demands
an individual who can deal with rote labor and accelerate to
meet unexpected challenges.
The career
mail specialist needs social interaction skills. The modern
mail center is the communications center of the university.
The employee within this department must interact effectively
with all levels of society, while exhibiting friendliness and
a demonstrated knowledge of their field.
Because the Mail Center has many varying situations where the
daily department routine is disrupted because of rush jobs,
weather conditions, exceptionally large volumes of mail to be
processed the same day, etc., the Mail Center needs individuals
who have the ability to prioritize and work independently to
get the job done.
The "Mailroom" is no longer a stepping-stone to a
career. It is a career!
And a career which demands individuals to be very diversified
in knowledge, equipment skills, and people skills. And
only through much time devoted to educating, training, and experience
does this happen.
Colleges/universities need long-term employees who will grow
and develop the capabilities to provide it with quality economic,
efficient, prompt, and consistent service!
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