Before starting the application process you must for make a career profile. And just like any other job you apply for nowadays, you MUST have an email account because that's how they'll stay in contact with you for the most part. So once that's set up you go through the somewhat lengthy application process. Afterwards you are required to go take a postal service exam which really only basically tests you on memory and how good you are at remembering streets, zip codes, etc. By the way, on your career profile there's like a pre-test study guide so you can have an idea of what to expect on the exam. But before that you have to set up an appointment at your most convenient testing location (they give you a list of your closest ones). That's when you go and take the exam. It's typically 1 hour - 1 1/2 hours long and it's pretty straght forward. Then the results would appear on your profile that same day and it indicates that if you passed then you would be "ELIGIBLE" and still be considered for employment. If you didn't then you would be "INELIGIBLE" and you would no longer be considered for the job and your application process would be over! Now it becomes the waiting game; About 1 week later they send you a consent form (via email) so they have permission to get a background on you. You then sign it and then fax it to them. About another week or two later you get a copy of your background check. Then you wait for about 2-3 MORE weeks they send you information so you can schedule an appointment to have a drug-test within the next two days. Now if you don't receive the information about the drug exam by that time frame, then they should have sent you a letter saying that they have decided to go on other candidates, basically cutting you from the application process. So after you go take the drug test (they let you know that same day if you passed or not), and assuming you pass, you wait about a few days and they send an email for you to go in for an interview at the main office. So basically you wait about 2 months or so before you even get an interview, but from there on it's VERY easy. They only asked me a few questions and then they hired me on the spot! They gave me an offer and I gratefully accepted. Honestly the hardest part about the actual interview process was all the paper work I had to fill out. I felt like I was literally signing my life away, but, at least to me, it was worth it.