SAN ANTONIO – The FBI is ramping up recruiting efforts in San Antonio and across Texas as the bureau faces a wave of retirements and evolving security threats.
Officials say protecting the country starts with finding the right people, and they are seeking candidates with a wide range of skills and backgrounds — including some not traditionally associated with law enforcement.
“We love lawyers, so law degrees translate really well into investigative work, but we also value financial backgrounds,” Special Agent Jessica Ortiz said. “I even see teachers become FBI special agents. And more than really any of those skill sets right now, cyber skills are highly valued.”
Ortiz said she is actively recruiting for a variety of positions, with a particular focus on special agents and professional staff who work behind the scenes.
“Technical skills, computer science, cybersecurity — those skill sets translate well into the special agent role and many of the professional staff positions,” she said.
The push for new agents follows an increase in retirements last year, driven in part by a federal deferred resignation program.
“The federal government offered a deferred resignation program, and that led a lot of federal employees, including FBI special agents, to retire,” Ortiz said. “So uniquely this year, there is a great hiring push to hire more special agents who are the law enforcement side of the FBI.”
Becoming a special agent requires a bachelor’s degree, at least two years of full-time professional work experience, applicants between the ages of 23 and 36, a valid driver’s license and meeting physical fitness requirements.
“The physical fitness test within the special agent selection process is the biggest barrier for applicants to become FBI special agents,” Ortiz said. “So it’s never too early to start push-ups, pull-ups, running. That’s our biggest barrier for hiring special agents.”
Ortiz also encouraged interested students to consider the FBI Honors Internship Program, which offers hands-on experience and a potential pipeline into the bureau.
“A good way to get your foot in the door with the FBI is through our Honors Internship Program,” she said. “I had the opportunity to intern on the San Antonio Division’s Public Corruption Squad decades ago, and that experience really sealed my desire to become an FBI special agent.”
More information about FBI careers and internships is available at fbijobs.gov.
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