Applicants must be sponsored by the federal government or a company with a contract requiring classified work. The job offer will be conditional on you obtaining the required clearance. For private sector jobs, candidates who have an active or current security clearance are in demand for positions in many industries. Software developers, engineers, and applicants with proficiency in foreign languages are sought after by employers. There are three standard levels of security clearance: Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret.
These categories are for classified information that has been deemed particularly vulnerable, and eligibility standards and investigative requirements for access to SCI and SAPs clearances are higher than for other clearances. Applicants for a security clearance undergo a thorough evaluation to determine if they are loyal to the U. The process begins with the applicant completing the Personnel Security Questionnaire SF through the e-Quip application site.
Applicants can only access the system if they have been invited to do so by an official at their sponsoring agency. The next phase of the process involves an investigation conducted by the government's Office of Personnel Management, the Defense Department, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence or another investigation service provider ISP , depending on the position.
The applicant will be interviewed—and possibly re-interviewed as additional information is gathered—to clarify any potential issues that could affect the clearance. Candidates should be sure that they are honest and inclusive as they complete the SF and answer interview questions, since discrepancies uncovered in the investigation may be grounds for disqualification. The final stage of the investigative process involves a review of all the information gathered to determine eligibility for a specific clearance.
The duration of the entire investigation and review will vary, but the average length of time is days. However, in some cases, it may be possible to get an interim security clearance and start work in a temporary capacity until the background check process is complete. According to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency an agency of the Department of Defense , all applicants for a personnel security clearance submitted by a cleared contractor will be considered for interim eligibility.
Interim eligibility is issued only when access to classified information is clearly consistent with the national security interests of the United States. It is issued at the same time as the initiation of the investigation and will generally remain in effect until the investigation is completed.
At that time, the applicant is considered for final eligibility. The Defense Security Service issues the following statuses throughout the investigation to let candidates know what is happening during the process:. Hourly positions that may require a security clearance include secretaries, security officers, librarians, system administrators, and computer-support personnel who have access to classified documents or systems. Related: Does your resume pass the 6-second test?
Get a FREE assessment. According to John Wojcik, manager of security and safety for a Department of Defense contractor, it can take up to two years to obtain a security clearance due to the high number of background checks already in progress.
The process varies by federal agency and is constantly being tweaked based on current threats. Here is how it generally works:.
The procedure may include polygraphs, discussions with neighbors ad interviews in which very personal questions are asked. Moreover, Wojcik suggests you find out from human resources what the disqualifiers are before you quit your current job.
Experts warn job seekers about recruiting firms, attorneys or other companies that promise to obtain a security clearance for you or "pre-approve" you for a security clearance -- for a fee.
They are scams. If you are serious about obtaining a position for which a security clearance is a must, Archibald suggests starting in a nonclassified job. The first step in the security clearance process is the initial job application. You must be a U. If an agency selects you for further consideration, they can then direct you to complete the security clearance application.
The next step is the process is to complete a document entitled "Personnel Security Questionnaire SF " through the government e-Quip application website. Applicants must fill out forms because incorrect or incomplete forms can disqualify individuals from consideration. All applicants also complete an additional evaluation process. This can involve questions about national allegiance. This process ensures that that foreign nationals have not influenced or affected the applicant, as this can present a national security risk.
The evaluation also assesses an applicant's honesty, values, psychological fitness and possible criminal activity. This phase might involve another investigation service provider called an ISP, but that depends on the role and clearance level. The investigation process mostly involves interviews of the applicant's colleagues. This could include:. The agents also interview the applicant themselves.
They might re-interview the applicant multiple times to clarify answers from colleagues or as they discover additional information in their investigation. The last and final stage of the investigation requires an assessment of all the information the agents have assembled. The agents then determine if the candidate is qualified to receive a security clearance.
The investigation phase might take some time to complete. It depends on the candidate, the number of interviews and information agents need to process, so the average length of time for the investigation phase is around days. Because of this, some agencies might issue an interim security clearance to allow an individual to work in a provisional status until the government issues the full clearance. Interim eligibility can apply to any applicant, and it can remain in effect until the investigation phase is over and a candidate receives their full security clearance level.
During the investigation phase, a candidate receives status updates from the Defense Security Service so they know where they are in the approval process. Here are all the different status updates:. Here are some frequently asked questions about security clearances:. Most federal government positions require some type of security clearance. The vast majority of military personnel are given this very basic level of clearance.
This level needs to be reinvestigated every fifteen years. The unauthorized disclosure of secret information could be expected to cause serious damage to the national security. This level is reinvestigated every ten years. Individuals with this clearance have access to information or material that could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security if it was released without authorization.
This level needs to be reinvestigated every five years. Here are some of the industry terms attached to security clearances that you may encounter. Sensitive Compartmented Information or SCI is a type of classified information that concerns or was derived from sensitive intelligence systems, sources of intelligence, methods, or processes. They are national security eligibilty criteria for access to information that does not have an impact on national sercurity. Interim Clearance is a rarely granted temporary access to classified infromation while background investigation is being conducted.
These levels are often combined with security clearance but they are background investigation instruments applied to establish eligibility of access to confidential information. Type of investigation required for Secret and Confidential Security Clearance. Periodic reinvestigation for Secret conducted every 10 years and Condifential conducted every 15 years Security Clearances.
Is the lowest level of investigation that meets the requirements for an individual to occupy a Sensitive position within the DoD. Reimbursable Suitability Investigation is a focused investigation outside of scope of other investigations. A polygraph, also referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records some human physiological indicators during questioning. There are several types of polygraph tests that are used during security clearance backgrond investigations to determine if an applicant can be trusted with sensitive information.
Any person who is employed by an organization that is sending, receiving, or developing information that the government has deemed as important to National security will need to obtain a security clearance.
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