Couriers and Messengers Go Back to List Pick up and deliver messages, documents, packages, and other items between offices or departments within an establishment or directly to other business concerns, traveling by foot, bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, or public conveyance.

Technology used in this occupation:
	Spreadsheet software

Tasks
	Walk, ride bicycles, drive vehicles, or use public conveyances to reach destinations to deliver messages or materials.
	Load vehicles with listed goods, ensuring goods are loaded correctly and taking precautions with hazardous goods.
	Unload and sort items collected along delivery routes.
	Receive messages or materials to be delivered, and information on recipients, such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, and delivery instructions, communicated via telephone, two-way radio, or in person.
	Plan and follow the most efficient routes for delivering goods.
	Deliver messages and items, such as newspapers, documents, and packages, between establishment departments, and to other establishments and private homes.
	Sort items to be delivered according to the delivery route.
	Obtain signatures and payments, or arrange for recipients to make payments.
	Record information, such as items received and delivered and recipients' responses to messages.
	Check with home offices after completed deliveries to confirm deliveries and collections and to receive instructions for other deliveries.

Skills
	Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
	Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
	Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
	Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
	Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
	Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
	Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
	Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
	Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
	Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Knowledge
	Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
	Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
	English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
	Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
	Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
	Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
	Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
	Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
	Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
	Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

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Education & Training   Education:   These occupations usually require a high school diploma.   Related Experience:   Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

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Wage Information
	Region Average Entry Level  Mid-Range  Annual  Hourly  Bridgeport/Stamford $55,168.00 $26.52  $18.53  $20.40 - $38.25  New Haven $51,125.00 $24.58  $18.20  $19.13 - $27.96  New London/Norwich $41,325.00 $19.87  $17.32  $18.68 - $21.58  Waterbury $49,258.00 $23.68  $15.23  $15.22 - $35.44  Torrington $42,862.00 $20.61  $17.03  $17.17 - $21.63

Occupation Outlook ( 2016 - 2026 ) Average Annual Job Openings:   309   Employment in this occupation is expected to grow more slowly than average, and the number of annual openings will offer limited job opportunities.

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	Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers
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	Postal Service Mail Carriers
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	Security Guards
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	Some of the occupational information on this page is formulated from O*NETTM v17.0 data. O*NETTM is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.