Types of Security Clearances The government has divided security clearances into three levels of access: Confidential Confidential is the basic level of clearance many military personnel have it.
Confidential clearances require a thorough background check, including verification of your criminal, education and employment records. Fingerprint and credit checks are common. Confidential clearances are reinvestigated every 15 years. Secret Secret is one step up from Confidential. The background check covers the same bases as a Confidential clearance. Secret clearances are reinvestigated every 10 years. Top Secret Top Secret is the highest clearance issued. Your foreign travel and assets with be scrutinized.
Your employers, co-workers, neighbors and other references will be interviewed. Top Secret clearances are reinvestigated every 5 years. Top Online Programs Explore programs of your interests with the high-quality standards and flexibility you need to take your career to the next level. Standard Form 86 SF86 The first step in your security clearance process will be filling in the lengthy Standard Form 86 , a.
It will review and verify your: Scanned fingerprints Criminal records of the last 10 years Proof of U. Nevertheless, as the writers of Security Clearance FAQs point out, there a few ways to ensure your application does not get held up: Have all your materials for SF86 ready.
Be honest and anal retentive about the information you provide. Incomplete, missing or erroneous info accounts for a large proportion of rejected applications. Pay attention to every detail, including zip codes! Request and review your free credit report before submitting SF Under 5 CFR As a result, negative information about one area of concern may not be sufficient for an unfavorable determination.
This change was made in an effort to address the huge backlog of cases that was causing very long wait times and was not intended to affect the requirements of the background check process.
As of October , a signifigant percentage of the backlog has been cleared and processing time has decreased, although it is still wise to complete the necessary paperwork as quickly as possible. While DCSA is now the primary office conducting background suitability investigations for positions within the Executive Branch, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is in charge of security investigations for access to classified information and for sensitive positions.
Investigations that require record checks, reference interviews, or subject interviews are usually conducted by the field investigators, either federal agents or contract investigators. The questionnaire or SF that initiates a background check will be mailed to successful applicants.
However, you may wish to review these questionnaires prior to applying to make sure that you are comfortable with the inquiry and to raise any questions you may have in a timely manner; you can also begin to gather the required information and documents to expedite your submission. Click here , then select Standard Forms to find the various numbered forms mentioned below.
The questionnaires vary with the different divisions and the types of positions. It is the form most commonly required form for law student interns. It asks for personal identifying data as well as criminal records, illegal drug involvements, financial delinquencies, mental health counseling, alcohol related incidents and counseling, civil court actions, misuse of computer systems, and subversive activities for seven to ten years with some questions having no time limit.
The SF is the form commonly used by Department of Justice to request investigations for its attorneys. The most common suitability issues that arise during the review process are past unlawful use of drugs and failure to comply with financial obligations. SF, for example, requests information regarding illegal drug use, supplying, possession, or manufacture in the last year. Other more sensitive forms request more extensive information on illegal drug activity, possibly extending back for seven to ten years.
Credit checks are also done routinely. If you have either of these or other issues on your record, it can slow down the process, but it does not automatically preclude you from employment. Outcomes are decided on a case by case basis and decisions take into consideration the severity and frequency of the occurrence, the circumstances surrounding the occurrence, how recent the occurrence is, and the steps taken to cure the issue.
Although the government generally wants law abiding citizens to work for them, they are most concerned with recent or current illegal activity and repeated use of hard narcotics, such as cocaine. The standards regarding past misdeeds are somewhat flexible. However, it appears to us that any illegal drug use, within one year of application, will disqualify an applicant. For the FBI, that period may be longer, three years for marijuana and ten years for hard drugs. Inconsistencies and omissions on the SF and other forms are a common problem.
As in all your activities seeking employment and your activities as a lawyer, you must answer all questionnaires honestly. In addition to the ethical implications of lying, an investigation may be conducted based on the forms, and dishonesty on the forms is a federal offense subject to fine or imprisonment, not to mention a basis for finding you unfit for federal government employment.
You could be found unfit for federal employment because you did not reveal activities which, if properly disclosed, might not have been a barrier to employment. And remember, simply waiting a year before applying will often solve your problem since the government is less concerned with past indiscretions than with your behavior in law school and the recent past.
Legal positions in the federal government almost always require that the applicant be a U. Naturalized citizens are treated the same as non-naturalized citizens, but green card holders are not considered eligible for federal employment.
No company without a contract with the federal government can independently give or seek a security clearance, and no individual who is not hired by the federal government or a contract organization can get a security clearance.
Once the agency selects a candidate to hire, the applicant will receive a job offer contingent upon successfully obtaining a security clearance. The extensive background investigation takes place after the offer has been accepted and the required forms have been completed. This process can take several months or up to a year depending on backlog, need for more information, depth of the investigation process and other factors.
A background investigation begins after an applicant has received a conditional offer from an agency and has completed the forms required to begin the process. To help accelerate the process, begin to gather relevant information now so you can submit the relevant forms and information once you are offered a position. Depending on the type of clearance, the process itself can be lengthy—ranging from a couple of months to over a year—but you may be able to get an interim clearance on a temporary basis so that you can start your position sooner.
One major benefit of obtaining a security clearance is that once you have an active or current one, you can apply to a larger pool of job opportunities. In most cases, security clearances granted by one agency are accepted by others.
Do you have any advice for job seekers going through the security clearance process? Let us know on Facebook! Lakshmi Hutchinson is a freelance writer with experience in the nonprofit, education, and HR fields. She is particularly interested in issues of educational and workplace equity, and in empowering women to reach their professional goals.
She lives in Glendale, California with her husband, twin girls, and tuxedo cat.
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