Security Clearance Jobs Blog

Do you have a Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS SCI) clearance?  According to Wanted Analytics, this high-level distinction is one of the top five most advertised certifications/clearances nationally and ranks #1 for information technology jobs.

In terms of what jobs and where, if you have a TS SCI let’s hope you love IT and the West Coast (or Texas).  These factors seem to describe most of the job ads out there.

Read more here.

Most Commonly Advertised Job Titles for TS SCI Clearance:

1.  Software Engineer

2.  Systems Engineer

3.  Systems Administrator

4.  Senior Systems Engineer

5.  Network Engineer

6.  Social Scientist Human Terrain

7.  Senior Software Engineer

8.  Program Manager

9.  Technical Lead

10.  Senior Network Engineer

1 Comment »

So, your clearance rockets your resume to the top of the pile and secures you an interview.  But what can you do during the interview to lock the position?  Impress them with your “soft skills.”

“Soft skills” include characteristics like integrity, optimism, a sense of humor, good manners, empathy, etc.  Employers are increasingly looking for these unquantifiable traits in prospective employees.

You can demonstrate your character during the interview in responses to questions like: ‘Can you describe a situation in which you were asked to solve a problem without having all the information you needed?’ or ‘What was the best idea you ever failed to sell?’”

Don’t underestimate how much these likability factors can influence a hiring decision.  According to HR professionals your ability to “play well with others” has more of an impact than you realize…

Read more here.

No Comments »

The Atlantic reports (courtesy of Registan blogger Joshua Foust) of a recent job posting for agricultural specialists, security clearance required. It points to the dramatic increase in recent years for the need for individuals in a variety of occupations to hold security clearances – from executive assistants and janitorial crews working in cleared facilities to, in this case, farmers deploying to help native populations in combat zones. As the Atlantic notes there’s good reason for individuals deploying to locations like Iraq and Afghanistan to have clearances – sensitive information is on the line and individuals working alongside deployed troops and in secure facilities will most definitely have unique access.

The need for farmers with security clearances also points to the increase number of security clearances issued in recent years. The number of clearances has become so significant, in fact, that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is having trouble coming up with the exact number, according to reports from Secrecy News. While the director of the ODNI special security center stated in a Capitol Hill briefing that they would divulge the number of security clearances held sometime after the first of this year, the figure has yet to be disclosed.

Secrecy News reports that ODNI will still provide the number – but will include it as a part of the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2010, which required disclosure of the total number of clearances. All of this leads to the conclusion that keeping tabs on exactly how many security clearances have been issued and are active is easier said than done. A 2010 GAO report estimates the number at 2.5 million, but only ODNI knows for sure.

No Comments »

Our popular ongoing series allows you to ask your most complex questions regarding security clearances and our regular contributors of present and former clearance investigators and adjudicators will try to answer them. The rules are listed below. Failure to abide by them will mean your question will be deleted.

NOTE: Due to the volume of questions we receive, we cannot answer all of them. Selected questions that have not been answered in the past will likely be answered.

If you would like a guaranteed private answer to your question, please see here.

Note: All questions are moderated. After you post, it can take up to a week for the question to be “live” on the site and our panelists to see it and answer it.

1. Please do not address a contributor by name to ensure anyone who has knowledge might answer.
2. Do not include your own name, email address, or other information that can identify you. This is a public forum and clearance holders have a responsibility for covertness.
3. If you have questions regarding careers, job hunting, salaries, interviewing, or other career-related topics, see the other threads dedicated to this purpose.
4. Provide full details about your case in your initial question thread.
5. Do not post your questions in previous versions of this thread.
6. Understand that the suggestions and comments contributors provide are their opinions only. The owners of this site are not responsible for the suggestions and guidance from outside contributors.

Note: If your post does not appear on this site, you may not be following the rules above.

If you would like a guaranteed private answer to your question, please see here.

Please read over previous threads to see if your question has already been answered. Use the Search tool to locate specific keywords.

Related Articles:

• Employment Suitability Versus Security Clearance
• Criminal Conduct and Security Clearances
• Drug Involvement and Security Clearances
• Rebutting and Appealing Security Clearance Denials
• Alcohol Consumption and Security Clearances
• Personal Finances and Security Clearances

80 Comments »

Over the past two years, ClearanceJobsBlog.com has become the only place on the internet where people can ask tough questions about security clearances and get expert answers. Our staff and regular contributors have taken the time to answer even the most complex questions and give people peace of mind and assistance for an inherently confusing topic. We greatly appreciate all of the input.

This premium service is offered to you at only $65 per question and answer.

Due to popular demand and our rapid growth, we are launching a new private security clearance question and answer service. This will help ensure your critical questions get answers. Our new service grants the following:

• Complete privacy – your questions answered out of public view
• Priority service – your questions get answered first, before our blog and with no delays
• Complete answers – your questions receive detailed answers with references and links where applicable
• Guaranteed answers - your questions are guaranteed to be answered

Your questions will be answered by our resident expert, William H. Henderson, author of The Security Clearance Manual.  Mr. Henderson is a retired federal investigator who worked as a field agent and supervisor for the Defense Investigative Service (DIS) and its successor organizations, the Defense Security Service (DSS) and the Federal Investigative Services Division of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for over 20 years.

This premium service is offered to you at only $65 per question and answer.

Instructions:

1. Email your question to clearancehelp@clearancejobs.com
2. Include full contact details including your name, address, and phone number
3. Ensure your question is fully detailed – the more information the better
4. Cost is $65 per question and answer.
5. You will receive an email receipt and questions will be subsequently answered.
6. Questions will be answered from the email address provided.
7. Click the Buy Now button link below to proceed with payment.

9 Comments »

The MilitaryTimes Edge recently published a great article on security clearance jobs.  Yes, we were mentioned and the Director of ClearanceJobs, Evan Lesser, was interviewed;  so there is a bit of self promotion here.    Honestly, though, it is a very thorough, informative article on security clearance jobs.  A very good read.  Here’s an excerpt.

Engineers and IT specialists are in top demand, but clearance jobs run the gamut. Any position that’s needed in a big corporation — from the board room to the mail room — may require clearance.

“People think about security clearance jobs and the first thing they think about is espionage, people doing covert work,” said Evan Lesser, director of the job-search Web site ClearanceJobs.com. But he once placed a highly cleared individual in the White House kitchen. That’s “Yankee White” status: Cleared to serve the president.

10 Comments »

As seen on Time Magazine’s website. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been “the best recruiting officer” for U.S. military efforts to partner with Arab states over the past year. That’s according to General David Petraeus, who as commander of Centcom is responsible for overseeing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

What’s been good for Centcom has also been good for the high-tech U.S. arms industry. Despite the global recession, Arab states have signed huge deals for U.S. military hardware, whose sophistication has been on full display in two long wars in the neighborhood.

Petraeus said countries in the region now deploy eight Patriot missile-interceptor batteries — up from zero a few years ago — made by Raytheon Corp. And the Pentagon last month announced that Kuwait had ordered upgrades of its Patriot missile system, in a deal worth $410 million. But Raytheon isn’t the only beneficiary of anxiety over Iran. The United Arab Emirates this year ordered $9 billion worth of U.S. military gear, Petraeus noted, including 70 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets.

1 Comment »

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced last week regarding their 2nd Annual Summer Seminar for College Students interested in Intelligence Community careers.

They will again offer about 40 highly motivated graduate students and college seniors an opportunity to study with currently serving intelligence analysts and other experts. The National Security Analysis & Intelligence Summer Seminar is planned for July 13 through July 24 in Washington, D.C. The intensive, residential seminar will include lectures, field trips to agencies and work on substantive topics under the direction of Intelligence Community analysts, academics and other professionals.

Career opportunities will be highlighted. Students who are selected and approved will receive secret-level security clearances for the duration of the seminar. “The program’s benefits are many fold,” said Director Dennis C. Blair. “The Intelligence Community is eager to work with some of the nation’s best and brightest. In return, we hope they will benefit from an inside look at what national intelligence is all about.”

The NSAISS application will be available online in January. It is recommended that students who are interested in careers in intelligence begin to gather transcripts, two letters of recommendation and a current resume that must accompany the application. Applicants will also need to complete Standard Form 86 (SF-86)/Questionnaire for National Security Positions (download here).

The NSAISS is open to U.S. citizens who are graduate students, and to college seniors graduating in the 2009-2010 academic year and applying to graduate school. The seminar is not open to federal government employees, contractors or currently serving military or activated reservists. Participants will receive travel expenses, room and board, course materials and a $500 stipend. The debut effort attracted more than 700 applicants for 40 slots.

For more information, click here.

Related: Intelligence Jobs on ClearanceJobs.com

1 Comment »

The 2009 Security Clearance Salary Survey of 5,023 security-cleared job seekers conducted by ClearanceJobs.com has been released! See how you compare with your colleagues!

After you complete this short survey, you will be provided with the most current salary survey results in an 8 page [pdf] report for free!

Get the Security Clearance Salary Survey

8 Comments »

What should you do…

1. Start correcting the problem immediately, document all efforts, and keep a chronology of activities.

2. Get credit reports from all three national credit reporting companies and use the reports to make a list of all your creditors, but understand its limits. Things that sometimes don’t show up on a credit report including unpaid alimony, tax delinquencies, automobile leases, and some other debts. Occasionally erroneous and duplicate information appears on a report. Although the clearance application form (SF86) only asks for 7 year’s worth of financial information; adjudicators may consider all financial information available to them, including financial information collected by field investigators from court records, rental/utility records, personal references, real estate records, and employment records that does not appear on a credit report.

3. Immediately take action to dispute any erroneous information on the credit report.

4. Make at least minimum regular monthly payments to all creditors.

5. Contact those creditors that have unpaid claims against you, insure that the claims are legitimate, and set up a repayment schedule as soon as possible. Try to communicate in writing and keep copies of all correspondence. If you communicate by telephone, make a written record of the telephone call and include the date, name of the person you spoke to, and a gist of the conversation.

6. Seek credit counseling if necessary, preferably with organizations that is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. They may be able to negotiate better repayment terms and lower interest rates than you are able to obtain by yourself.

7. Don’t be afraid of bankruptcy, if your situation warrants it. If you seek the services of a reputable credit counseling service first, they will advise you whether your situation can be resolved better through bankruptcy or debt consolidation.

William H. Henderson is a retired security investigator, author of Security Clearance Manual, and regular contributor to ClearanceJobsBlog.com and ClearanceJobs.com.

13 Comments »