The United States Postal Services is honored to be the nation’s largest employer with its more than 630,000 member workforce. Despite the tedious hiring procedure, thousands apply at the USPS each year.
Fingerprinting is one of the critical steps of the employment process and often leaves the applicants at sixes and sevens about registering themselves.
Whether you’re contemplating fingerprinting for acquiring IHSC or as a part of your hiring, there are two ways to get your feet wet:
- First, you can schedule via email.
- Contact and secure an appointment through a call.
In this guide, we’ll hand you everything about fingerprinting at USPS, such as scheduling an appointment, all the pre, and post-fingerprinting steps, and important factors to consider while registering and getting your finger impression done.
Stages of Fingerprinting
The hiring process at USPS has several stages, which slightly differ for each job position. So while Fingerprinting step is not the final one, it’s close to the last one.
Before signing up for fingerprinting, you must ensure you have completed the preceding ones.
Usually, you’re notified of each step via email before reaching the stage of fingerprint registration.
Here we have broken down the entire process of finger impression from scheduling to completion, which includes:
1. Invitation
After the assessment and a motor vehicle record check(if required for the job you have applied for), the selected candidates are sent a conditional job offer letter via email with a personal link that is only active for three days.
If you accept the job offer, you’re invited to the finger impression procedure, and you can register yourself through the following two channels.
2. Scheduling
At this stage, you’ll have two alternatives:
The link provided on the job offer is specific to each applicant. It’ll direct you to the conditional job notification page. After accepting and filling out all the forms, you can encounter a name and email contact on the same page for the fingerprint appointment.
Once you send an email, the official will provide you with a date and location to choose for scheduling your appointment. Often, the hiring official already sends appointment details of the location and time to the provided email address.
Call
If you don’t receive any information regarding fingerprinting via email, you can always schedule it through a call. A contact number is also given in the job offer email.
You can ask officials to plan your fingerprinting, and they will inform you about the nearby postal offices that have this facility and designate the time for your appointment.
3. Fingerprinting
On your appointment day, show up early, so you have enough time to locate the parking lot, navigate the building, and encounter any emergency. The staff is also appointed at each step to guide you through the building and the process.
You’ll be asked for the necessary documents and fee; after you’ve paid the fee and verified the documents, the impressions will be taken.
The process will not take long, but in the case of many applicants, you can witness long lines and have to wait for your turn.
4. Post Fingerprinting
This step can be a test of your nerves for some since it can take weeks to months to hear back from the USPS hiring department.
In the world of postal services, The United States Postal Services Stands as the tallest skyscraper delivering 48% of the world’s mail, so you can expect the workload, which can slow down the process.
However, if the new hires are urgently required, you will hear back sooner than expected. The fingerprinting is done to run a background check encompassing the past five years of your residence, work history, and more. Thus, it can take them a while to clear it up.
- Ensure you take all the necessary documents, such as your photo ID and driving license. Read through the mail carefully to know which documents are required.
- You are supposed to schedule your appointment within five days of receiving your job offer letter.
- Keep an eye out for your mail notifications since all the correspondence for the hiring process happens via the email you provide on the application.
- Always come on the scene an hour earlier than the time assigned.
Final Takeaway
Fingerprinting is a crucial stage in the application process at USPS. The applicants can schedule their appointment via email from USPS or by calling the number provided.
