The USPS hiring process can be long, as new hires are joining an agency that occupies the same branch of government as the presidency. However, after the interviews, you may be invited to come in for fingerprinting, giving the hiring personnel access to your records for the background check.
What Can You Expect From the USPS Fingerprinting Process?
The USPS fingerprinting process involves three steps: your invitation to get fingerprinted, the actual fingerprinting itself, and the post-fingerprinting stage, when you wait while USPS hiring personnel runs your prints and completes the background checks. The process can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks.
How Long Is the Fingerprinting Process at USPS?
The time it takes to complete the fingerprinting process depends on how backed up the United States Postal Service is.
However, from the moment you receive the email stating that you are invited to come to get fingerprinted, you generally have a few days to go in.
The USPS gives you time and, usually, a few dates to choose from when you can come in to get your fingerprinting done.
My understanding from my research suggests that you might not always be asked to come to your closest Post Office for fingerprinting.
For example, one applicant expressed dismay that she had to visit another (nearby) state to get her fingerprints done and that they weren’t doing it closer to her location.
So, depending on which day you can make it, getting fingerprinted can take a few days.
Getting fingerprinted takes minutes, but while you’re there, the USPS asks you to bring further documentation for its records.
After you have been fingerprinted, there is nothing to do but wait, which will probably be the longest part of the fingerprinting process.
The USPS will run its background checks, but there is no saying how long it could take. It could be a few days if your local USPS location is not super busy and backed up. However, if it is backed up with applicants, it could be weeks – in some cases, many weeks.
Overall, the speed depends on your Post Office (or the one you were directed to).
Do You Need an Appointment for USPS Fingerprinting?
You do need an appointment for USPS fingerprinting, and from my research, it appears that when you’re alerted to come to get fingerprinted, the staff gives you some options.
You’ll receive an email saying that you have been invited to the next step, fingerprinting, and then you’ll be given a few days and times to choose from.
Unfortunately, if you can’t make any of those days and times, you must contact someone to see if you can make special arrangements. However, it is always best to try to make any of the appointments given.
What Is the Next Step After Fingerprinting for USPS?
If you’re in the midst of the hiring process for the USPS, you might be wondering what happens after you have your fingerprints done.
Well, first, you will have to wait. You will wait while the Postal Service HR team runs the background checks and further evaluates your application materials.
But guess what? If you pass the background check, there is a good chance that you will receive an offer. This is because the background checks occur near the middle-end of the hiring process for USPS.
Your next email from the Postal Service could be an offer, and it could come with W-2 forms to fill out, and then you’ll have orientation.
Conversely, I have heard of people getting fingerprinted at orientation; I have heard of people getting fingerprinted and then getting offered the job on the spot.
Overall, it ultimately comes down to the need your Post Office or distribution center has and how much of a hurry they’re in to get someone hired.
What Kind of Background Check Does USPS Do?
When the USPS looks at potential hires, they have them come in for fingerprinting. The USPS can then begin the state and federal background checks.
Depending on where you live, your state likely has a database that the USPS can use to search for convictions or pending charges.
Federal background checks are performed by searching the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.
The NCIC allows the USPS to search for any criminal convictions or pending charges in any state nationwide (the FBI maintains it).
All USPS employees must have passed their background check, which goes back about five years.
If you have been convicted of a crime, it’s best to be honest about it on your application rather than the Postal Service finding out about it during the background check.
How Long Does It Take to Hear Back From USPS?
The USPS works on its timeframe, so there is no real guide to when you can expect to hear back during any stage of the hiring process.
Sometimes, you will hear back within days- sometimes, it can take weeks, if not months.
It all depends on how backed up or in need the post office or distribution center where you’re getting hired is.
To know more, you can also read our posts on whether or not USPS hires part-time employees, does USPS hire felons, and USPS attendance policy.
