Can i get clearance

Former military personnel who have security clearances are very appealing to employers. In addition to the thorough background check that has already been completed, these employees are disciplined, dependable and have strong leadership skills - priceless attributes in today's market. Certain federal employees and certain employees in the private sector are required to have security clearances because their job requires them to have access to classified documents.

Various other work takes place in secured facilities. The occupant of any such job is said to hold a "sensitive" position, defined as "any position, by virtue of its nature, could bring about a material adverse effect on national security". At any given time, there are about 3 million people with security clearances. In addition, there are about 1.

Contractors participate in what is called the industrial security program administered by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency DCSA on behalf of the Department of Defense and 33 other federal agencies. One out of every thirty Americans has some sort of security clearance. It has been estimated that one out of every thousand of these can be expected to compromise the secrets they are entrusted with.

Some need money, some can be blackmailed, some are disgruntled and want revenge and some are just sloppy. American industry is a prime target for espionage as well as domestic terrorism and white collar crime. A security clearance is technically a license issued by the head of a department, division or agency of the federal government.

The type of security clearance that one can be approved for also depends upon the department, division, or agency involved. For classification purposes, the types of security clearances are:. The Confidential security clearance is the easiest to obtain. Whereas other classifications will almost always involve a background check by the Defense Department, clearance programs for a confidential classification may be operated by the agencies themselves, like the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI , the Department of Energy DoE , the Department of State, etc.

Secret sometimes called "Ordinary Secret" and Top Secret classifications almost always have some amount of military involvement in the clearance process. One of the differences between Secret and Top Secret is how "expansive" the background check is, i. SCI classifications are only cleared for a few people and the background investigation process as well as the continual monitoring is extremely intensive.

The amount of time it takes to receive a security clearance is usually between six months to one year, if all goes well.

Rarely, if ever, are temporary clearances granted during the review process. The scope of investigative work needed to grant a security clearance depends on the level of clearance being requested. There are three basic levels of security classification:. Additionally, federal employment positions that include access to sensitive information require a security clearance. This includes individuals employed by private firms in the capacity of a contractor for the federal government.

Security clearances are structured in a hierarchical manner with each designation indicating the maximum level of classified information that may be accessed by the clearance holder.

From least restrictive to most restrictive the classification levels are:. Having obtained a certain level of security clearance does not mean that the clearance holder automatically has access to or is given access to information cleared for that clearance level. Need to know is generally determined by a disclosure officer assigned to the office of origin for the classified information. There are also two categories of classified information that require additional handling and access restrictions:.

These special 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.

Security clearances are active only for the time when an individual holds the original job for which the clearance was designated.

A clearance holder may be re-investigated at any time, but a formal review is required after the prescribed number of years. A clearance may be reactivated in certain cases without going through the entire investigative process again. The authority for classifying information and granting security clearances to access that information is found in Executive Orders EOs and US federal law. The origins of security clearances can be traced back to the Pendleton Act of which required applicants for federal employment to possess the requisite character, reputation, trustworthiness, and fitness for employment.

In , Executive Order provided for the requirement that all federal employees be fingerprinted and investigated by the FBI and in the DoD unified the military security program and implemented standards and procedures similar to those put into effect for civilians under E.

Executive Order superseded E. Many federal agencies and federal contractors working with those agencies necessarily require their employees to hold security clearances in order to do their job. The need for a security clearance is dictated by a necessity to handle sensitive or classified information rather than a specific job description.

Anyone having access to classified data requires clearance at or higher than the level at which the data they must handle is classified. For this reason, security clearances are required for a wide range of jobs, from senior management to janitorial.

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. Before the process for obtaining a security clearance can even begin there must exist a verifiable need for the individual seeking the clearance to hold one. While companies with contracts or grants with the federal government may require employees to have a security clearance, no company without a contract with the federal government can independently seek a security clearance.

There's just one small matter: The position requires a US security clearance , and you don't have one. You may think that you can just apply for the clearance and in no time the job will be yours, but the process isn't quite that simple.

You cannot obtain a security clearance for yourself. Your current or prospective employer has to do this for you. Since the process is costly and time-consuming, organizations won't do it unless it's absolutely essential. Make sure you arm yourself with the following information so you're ready to apply for the jobs you are targeting. Related: Search for Security Clearance jobs. A security clearance is used to confirm an applicant's trustworthiness and reliability before providing access to national security information.

If your job requires access to classified government documents or if you work in a government-secured facility, you must hold a security clearance. 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:.