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Mail handler vs assistant

The differences between mail handlers and assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an assistant has an average salary of $37,363, which is higher than the $35,851 average annual salary of a mail handler.

The top three skills for a mail handler include mail containers, delivery truck and pallet jack. The most important skills for an assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Mail handler vs assistant overview

Mail HandlerAssistant
Yearly salary$35,851$37,363
Hourly rate$17.24$17.96
Growth rate-6%-8%
Number of jobs59,499557,900
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4550
Years of experience-2

What does a mail handler do?

An employee given the responsibility of a mail handler is dedicated to walking, office work, and delivering mail. A mail handler's day starts by sorting out and preparing mail/packages that are loaded to trucks for dispatch. Mail handlers also have responsibilities in post offices where they perform clergy jobs, attend to customer queries, weigh packages, and organize mail according to location and address. Overall, it's a detailed job to sort and prepare mail, load in trucks, and provide tracking to ensure all mail is routed to its correct destination.

What does an assistant do?

An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.

Mail handler vs assistant salary

Mail handlers and assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Mail HandlerAssistant
Average salary$35,851$37,363
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $56,000Between $16,000 And $82,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MABoston, MA
Highest paying stateVermontMassachusetts
Best paying companyState of ConnecticutLatham & Watkins
Best paying industryRetailEducation

Differences between mail handler and assistant education

There are a few differences between a mail handler and an assistant in terms of educational background:

Mail HandlerAssistant
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college-Western Carolina University

Mail handler vs assistant demographics

Here are the differences between mail handlers' and assistants' demographics:

Mail HandlerAssistant
Average age4550
Gender ratioMale, 53.7% Female, 46.3%Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 6.0% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage7%6%

Differences between mail handler and assistant duties and responsibilities

Mail handler example responsibilities.

  • Process mail with RF scanner.
  • Comply with FAA and FedEx rules and regulations.
  • Operate tug and dolly to the fedex plane so they can load them
  • Process mail with RF scanners, or weigh mail for proper postage for shipping
  • Replenish and replace the BMC carts when fill and escort carts to the loading dock.
  • Operate a DBCS, which is an automation machine used to sort mail by zip codes and states.
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Assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage circulations, including educational textbooks and DVDS, video technology and supplies.
  • Manage branches providing information technology support, logistics, training and operational support.
  • Manage company's twitter account and communicate with multiple physical therapy providers around the country
  • Optimize productivity in prioritizing and managing special projects, PowerPoint presentations for classes, and proctore exams for undergraduate classes.
  • Assist in jewelry design and assembly, manage company Facebook page, participate in wholesale buying, and manage retail inventory
  • Manage and update company Facebook page with daily updates, finding/sharing relevant and interesting information, and encouraging fan engagement.
  • Show more

Mail handler vs assistant skills

Common mail handler skills
  • Mail Containers, 28%
  • Delivery Truck, 15%
  • Pallet Jack, 12%
  • Load Trucks, 10%
  • Mail Delivery, 5%
  • Mail Handling, 4%
Common assistant skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Sales Floor, 5%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 3%

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