Jobs for veterans in Puerto Rico

Two different preferences

Federal employment has veterans' preference, which adds points or places the veteran in a preferred category in USAJOBS processes, plus VRA authority allowing appointments outside open competition. Puerto Rico has its own preference, and it has a statute and a figure: **Article 4-F(a)(3) of Act 203-2007** guarantees that **ten points or 10%, whichever is greater**, be added to the score of a veteran who obtained the minimum qualifying score on the entry, reentry or promotion test.

And Puerto Rico's does not stop at government: the same law requires agencies, municipalities, public corporations **and every natural or juridical person operating a business in Puerto Rico** to give preference to the veteran, on equal academic, technical or experience terms, in appointments and promotions.

They are separate systems and do not transfer between each other. If you plan to apply to both, prepare both sets of documents: the DD-214 member 4 copy for federal, and whatever certification the local agency requires.

• DD-214, member 4 copy, showing character of separation
• VA disability rating letter, if applicable
• SF-15 for 10-point preference in federal hiring
• Veteran ID and VHIC card
• Veteran certification from the Veterans Advocate Office

Where the jobs are on the island

Fort Buchanan in Guaynabo is the island's largest concentration of federal civilian jobs, with NAF and civil service positions. The VA Caribbean Healthcare System in San Juan hires clinicians and support staff continuously. Add the federal agencies with a local presence: Customs, TSA, Postal Service, Coast Guard.

In the private sector, military experience carries weight in security, logistics, aircraft maintenance, mechanics and supervision. The trick is translation: on a civilian résumé do not write the MOS, write what you did and how many people or how much equipment you handled.

Where to get help

Puerto Rico's Veterans Advocate Office advises on benefits and on the local preference. The Department of Labor has veteran employment counselors under the federal veterans programs, and the VA offers vocational rehabilitation and education benefits.

If you are applying through USAJOBS, preference is worth nothing if the federal résumé is built wrong. It is the most common failure I see: veterans with preference who never clear screening because the résumé does not document weekly hours, supervisors and exact dates.