Security Clearance Explained

How to obtain security clearance and who needs it.

By Jennifer Verta, Monster Contributor

When we hear the word “security clearance”, Hollywood’s influence makes us automatically think about CIA agents and an intricate espionage case. The truth is that over four million Americans hold access to some level of secret information. And they’re not all CIA agents!

In this article, we’ll tell you all about this government authorization used to share national confidential information, including which industries and jobs within them need it and how you can obtain it when necessary.

What Is Security Clearance?

A security clearance is a government authorization for you to view classified or sensitive information as your job requires. There are different layers of clearance that the authorities appointed in the Executive Order (EO 13526) can grant you.

However, no matter which one you get, clearance only unlocks the national security information essential for you to perform your role, so it works on a “need-to-know” basis. You must undergo a vetting process if you wish to work in any federal government agency, as well as if you are a contractor for private companies working with the government.

To obtain your permit you must pass a comprehensive investigation to confirm that you are trustworthy in handling such important data and that you’re loyal to the United States. The level of scrutiny to which you are exposed depends on the types of security clearance your role demands. For instance, an analyst requires a lower status than an investigator, therefore the process is usually less intense.

Jobs That Require Security Clearance

The government and the military are the largest and most obvious sectors in which you need to undergo a security audit. These include all the intelligence, federal, diplomatic and law enforcement agencies such as:

  • Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
  • Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
  • United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
  • Defense Intelligence Agency
  • Office of National Security Intelligence
  • Homeland Security

On top of this, every company (regardless of industry) and their contractors collaborating with the government on projects that deal with national security information also requires this authorization. Some of the most common are businesses specializing in:

  • engineering
  • aerospace engineering
  • weapon manufacturing
  • information technology
  • cyber security
  • non-profits
  • research

But security clearance jobs only consist of high-profile roles, right? Think again - anyone that works in a facility with access to restricted information must be vetted. That’s why even custodians or janitors need to undergo this scrutiny.

This is because although they don’t carry out any tasks directly related to the mentioned information, they can potentially access it. Of course, in a role like this you’ll likely need lower security clearance levels depending on your responsibilities.

What Are the Different Levels of Security Clearance?

The Trusted Workforce 2.0 of 2018 reform united all the U.S. government background investigations under one government-wide system to obtain reciprocity across organizations. It also established the following three clearance levels:

  1. (C) Confidential
  2. (S) Secret
  3. (TS) Top Secret

You are assigned a clearance level based on the sensitivity of the information you need to access to perform your job. “Confidential” is the lowest level of clearance, while “Top secret” is the highest, as releasing such information is expected to cause extreme damage to national security.

On top of these three, there are also additional layers of authorization to deal with specific types of information, such as Q or SCI clearance - just two examples

What Is Q Clearance?

Q clearance is the highest authorization issued by the United States Department of Energy to restrict access to data about nuclear secrets. It is placed on nuclear studies and weapons information, which can be extremely dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands.

This clearance has the same level and requirements as the U.S. Government’s Top Secret clearance. Similar to other old clearance denominations, it takes its name from a letter, more precisely the “Q” in “Personnel Security Questionnaire”.

What Is SCI Clearance?

SCI clearance gives access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), which is data obtained from intelligence sources about sensitive collection systems, analytical processing, and targeting. You’ll have access to this permit only if you:

  • have Top Secret clearance issued by Personnel Security (PerSec).
  • Are approved by the Department of Commerce’s Intelligence Community granting agency.
  • Sign a Nondisclosure Agreement.

What Are the Security Clearance Requirements?

To work in any role in the government or government-tied companies, it’s important to confirm that you meet the following requirements:

  1. You must be a U.S. citizen, although some specific exceptions exist.
  2. You must have received a conditional offer for a job requiring access to sensitive information or already be an employee/contractor for that company.
  3. Your prospective role must be sponsored by a government agency.

How to Get Security Clearance

When you apply for a job that needs clearance, remember that any final job offer is tied to earning your security authorization. This means that you aren’t generally allowed to start your new job until the entire process is completed and that green light is lit.

What Are the Steps of the Security Clearance Process?

Once you receive and accept a tentative job offer, you’ll have to go through the following:

1. Application

The US Offices of Personnel Management (OPM) will contact you to complete the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP). In this form you’ll have to provide extensive information and supporting documents about your:

  • education
  • employment records
  • criminal records
  • military history including supervisors (if applicable)
  • travel outside of the U.S.
  • family members and where they live
  • previous places of residence including verification
  • contacts with foreign nationals in the U.S. and outside
  • mental health state
  • financial situation

Part of this first step also includes answering a list of questions about national allegiance and personal values to better assess your profile.

The exact document you’ll have to fill in depends on the level of clearance you need. For instance, if you’re looking at how to get Top Secret clearance, you’ll have to complete form SF-86. Make sure to follow the instructions closely and complete the entire document, as missing or incorrect information usually results in your request being denied.

After submitting your application, check your candidate status updates frequently and make sure the application results flow from “received” to “scheduled”.

2. Active Investigation

During this phase, depending on the case, the Office of Personnel Management, the Defense Department, or the Office of the Director of the National Intelligence proceed to collect and verify information about you. Based on the clearance you need they might investigate everything from your criminal history to your financial situation and even medical records.

To be granted the highest clearances, such as Top Secret, The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) will not only interview you but also your family members, friends, neighbors, and previous employers multiple times to confirm the information you provided. When your candidate status passes to “closed”, you’ll know the investigation is concluded and they are processing the final review.

2a. Get Interim Eligibility Period

The investigation could take some time, therefore, in certain circumstances, you might be granted an interim eligibility period to start working. This is a provisional status of 180 days with an option for extension, while they make the final determination. Interim clearance is established by Executive Order EO 12968.

3. Adjudication

Your clearance application can be “granted” or denied”. The verdict is based on specific adjudicative guidelines, which comprises, among others, of factors such as:

  • loyalty to the country
  • strength of characters
  • sound judgment
  • discretion
  • trustworthiness

Remember that once you obtain government clearance for a job, you can take advantage of it in any other role requiring the same level of clearance, no matter which agency issued it. This can make you extremely competitive in the job market, as your prospective employer wouldn’t have to go through the same lengthy process as with new candidates.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Security Clearance?

Obtaining a government clearance can take anywhere from four to twelve months or more, depending on the agency’s backlog and your background. Factors that can delay your process include having:

  • dual citizenship
  • resided in multiple geographic areas
  • numerous past employers
  • foreign family members or contacts

How to Get a Security Clearance Without a Sponsor

The process to secure government clearance starts when you receive a tentative job offer from an employer whose position requires such authorization. It’s not possible to apply on your own before obtaining an offer and without the sponsorship of a government agency.

The only way to partially bypass the process would be if you already hold the permit and solicit a job with another company that asks for the same type. In this way, your authorization would only need to be restored.

Who Pays for Your Government Clearance?

It is a common misconception that private employers pay for their employee’s clearances. However, it’s the government agency that bears the entire cost of the background check needed, with specifically allocated funds. Be wary of companies claiming to cover the costs of the process or even worse, asking you to economically contribute to it.

How Long Does Security Clearance Last?

You have the right to keep your clearance for as long as your job requires you to need access to national sensitive information. To remain in compliance, however, you must go through a renewal of the investigation every:

  • 15 years for Confidential
  • 10 years for the Secret
  • 5 years for Top Secret

Once you leave the job in question, your clearance is withdrawn. If you were to find another job requiring the same level of authorization within 24 months, is it possible to revalidate it fairly easily, as established by the Security Executive Agent Directive 7 (SEAD 7).

How to Prepare Before Applying for Government Clearance

If you’ve just been offered a job requiring clearance or you’re considering searching for one, you can take the following actions to make your government clearance application run smoother:

  • Keep track of your movements abroad. Unless you traveled for the government, you’ll have to provide details about any trip or extended stay outside of the U.S. Save records of the exact days of arrivals and returns, as well as addresses and contact details of landlords for stays longer than 90 days.
  • Gather your non-U.S. contacts. Write down all the foreign national contacts you have been interacting with the most in the U.S. for the last seven years.
  • Check your financial situation. Try to improve your credit score and reduce your overall debt if you have any. The more you have, the more you are considered vulnerable to attacks.
  • Assess your social media presence. Set privacy settings, minimize the information you share online and remove the most sensitive details such as your address or date of birth.
  • Avoid using illegal substances. Remember that even when they are legal at the state level, they are still illegal under federal law, therefore they will compromise your application.

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