Your Security Clearance Story
We’ve had a lot of threads here where people have briefly discussed how they obtained their clearance. Let’s make it official.. Tell us:
- When you received your clearance
- How long it took
- Which agency issued it
- Whether you received it as a contractor or Federal worker
- Any other interesting details
I’ll give my details below.
Comment Archive
I received my DoD clearance in 1996, about 13 months after I submitted my SF86. Employed by one of the larger Federal contractors in the metro DC area, I thought the process went smoothly, but did take an incredibly long time. I remember months and months asking Rick, my FSO, “Heard anything yet?” His normal answer was “nope”, and I did get tired of hearing that. He mentioned that “no news is good news” which seemed backwards, but in hindsight made a lot of sense.
My employer put me on various unclassified jobs over the time period. However, I rememeber spending a huge amount of time just hanging out, reading books, and trying to better my software development skills. The 13 months were boring, and I thought about changing jobs a few times.
I’ve been waiting for a DOD Secret clearance for 15 months, and I haven’t heard anything yet. How much longer will this take?
Altogether it took me 3 years to get my DOD clearance, and that was before they got so backlogged. First the guy who did my initial interview put me in for the wrong clearance. By the time we realized that, it was already about a year and a half into the process, so i had to start from scratch to get the correct clearance, but I think it was definitely worth the wait.
Now I am trying to get a position at Northrop Grumman. Anybody work there?
I went through an SSBI in 2006, cradle to grave in about 6 months.
Anyone know whether or not the investigators themselves hold active clearances? If so, at what level?
Federal and contract investigators working for OPM are all subject to SSBI’s and SSBI-PR’s. They are generally only issued a Secret clearance, because that is all they ususally need to do their jobs. The clearances can be administratively upgraded in a day or two, if needed.
The same is probably true for other DoD and intelligence community security investigators, but more if not all of them probably maintain TS clearances with SCI eligibility all the time.
That’s interesting. I hadn’t heard of administrative upgrades. Is that accomplished through some additional security paperwork or is there further investigation involved?
January 2005 – SF86 submitted as contractor to CIA
September 2005 – SSBI interviews and paperwork submitted
December 2005 – Completed two polys exams
Status since January 2006: Pending reports and adjudication
No news is good news apparently. Nothing has changed
Just got off the phone with a guy who submitted original online forms 12 months ago and hasn’t heard anything in 10 months.
I graduated from college last December and was told about being a contract investigator the month before. The person that told me about the industry told me he loved it. He told me companies and people to contact regarding working as an employee. He worked for USIS for three years, then became a contractor with USIS, Omniplex, and the FBI.
I contacted Mantech, Omniplex, and USIS. Omniplex offered me an interview then a job in December of 2006. I was excited about my first job out of college, but in February of 2007, I was told that the contract I was supposed to work was cancelled (OPM) and with that, my job was cancelled. After that I received an affer from Mantech, now known as MSM to become a contract investigator and I accepted. Now I am going through the process of receiving a Top Secret Clearance. One month ago, I was told by MSM, that I had been granted an interim secret clearance and soon realized I could not do anything with that.
The security department now says my investigation is underway, OPM says everything is correct, and the contacts I listed will now be contacted as well as any the investigator learns about during the investigation. The security department is expecting everything to be done by August 1st. I have read some of the other responses in this blog and am not sure what to think. Is it foolish to believe I will have a Top Secret Clearance by 8/1/07?
Also, any advice regarding good companies to work for on a contract basis would be much appreciated. Once I am working, please give some tips on how to do a good job and be in the companies good graces as a contract investigator. I’m from Maryland if that helps at all!
Thanks! This site has taught me a lot.
Mike – You’ve gotten more information about your clearance than anyone I’ve ever talked to. The fact that your security dept is giving you actual dates is unheard of. Getting interim clearance is good, in that it indicates you’ve passed the initial background investigation.
When did you submit for the TS clearance?
If you are looking for a good company to do contract investigations work for try searching https://www.clearancejobs.com/jobs?keywords=investigator
Apply for all of these jobs and get noticed. I’ve interviewed with them one time recently, and expect a second interview soon. Tell them you heard about the jobs on ClearanceJobs.com – it actually makes a difference. Candidates applying from Monster tend to not be cleared, and often not US citizens which drives employers nuts and wastes their time. Good luck.
First, thanks for the response admin, but I have a few more questions….. is it better to work for KROLL on a contract basis or as an employee because they have both types of positions available on the website you showed me?
I got my interim secret around the end of last month. I don’t know when I submitted for my TS because I kept having to resend my E-QIP paperwork. When I contacted the security dept they said:
According to JPAS, as of 6/25/07 my investigation has been released(no more corrections). Your SBI From OPM, has been recieved, and now your references will be contacted. As well as any references the investigator finds on his own.
What does this mean? Any idea of what time frame I’m looking at for when I get my adjudicated TS?
I anxiously await a response. Thanks!
Curious:
See my response to your question about administrative upgrades under the “Yearlong Wait” thread.
Dear Waiting,
Many are in your same timeframe (+/- a month) same pending reports with no news.
I am a college student, 22 years of age and I got offered a position from a DOD contractor in May of 2007. As of today, I have submitted all e-qip documents, and released fingerprint cards to OPM. I was told from the contractor that once I attain an interim security clearance, I would be able to start working. I’ve seen in previous posts that many were success in getting interim security clearance. In general, how long does it take to get an interim Secret clearance? My e-qip background has no discrepancies and good references… Anyone have an idea?
My clearance took about 4 years. I am a female in a practically all male-dominated field. The first job I had, I waited until about a year after I started working there to start the paperwork for my clearance since it wasn’t mandatory. Then I needed neck surgery and was laid off because of my health issues and not having a clearance. So then I took a job with another company that promised to process my clearance, but they lied. All the men around me had their clearances processed, but me. I quit that job after I was told I needed to work 75 hours a week to be successful there. The next job I had, I started the paperwork as soon as possible for the clearance. However, most people quit after they got their clearance and went to higher paying companies. I always keep my resume online and my boss found mine through one of our recruiters. He shut the door behind me and yelled at me about how he would do whatever it took to keep me from getting my clearance. About 6 more months of the year and half of waiting for my clearance prompted me to continually ask other managers and security why I still didn’t have it. Apparently he contacted someone with the company that held my clearance (the prime contract holder) and told his buddy to not put me on any contract. After being submitted to contract after contract and seeing the job requirement pulled and then made for a level higher than I was, just so I wouldn’t qualify….I finally quit and went somewhere else. It was obvious they couldn’t finish my clearance with the bully I had as a boss. The next job I had finished up the tail end of the clearance I already had. That took about another year, which was good because right before a got it I was threatened with a lay-off by the HR person that wanted me to quit because I didn’t have a usable clearance at that point.
The agency that issued it was DIA. I’m a contractor and HATE it. I would love to be a federal worker.
I absolutely hate the defense contracting field. All it is putting up with constant abuse from bullies with no recourse.
Hi All,
Applied for a contract job for US customs and Border. They applied for clearnce(I do know what king) went through interview by federal investigator etc. Just heared back on status
They says
“your BI investigation has been recently
completed and you have been cleared”
What exeactly it means, does it mean I am allowed to start working and process would go on parallel?
Or is it all done, asI do not want to change the job till it is all complete.
Thanks
…RSD
Hi everybody. I have some good news for a change to add to this blog. Check it out:
Oct 2006 – Recieved conditional offer of employment
Nov 2006 – Sent in all paper including security paperwork
Dec 2006 – Completed Medical and polygraph exams
Feb 2007 – Background investigation started
March 2007 – Background completed
June 2007 – Final follow up casework and clearance work done
July 2007 – Cleared for work and granted TS clearance
I seems that it took about 9 months total for me to get my TS clearance but i got it. I alot of people would say that I am one of the lucky ones. Well the paperwork said the clearance usually takes 6 to 9 months….. right the dot i guess. The longest step was between the background investigation to the final decision. I was straight out of college though with only minor travel, movings and other things to check out. They say it helps the younger and less things you have on record. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
My clearance is as a federal worker. Most of my other friends went the contractor route and had received their clearances a few weeks before me and I was becoming worried. Im not sure what level they were and i assumed mine was a little more sensitive. I think it takes a little longer for direct government employement. My only advice to newcomers is that if you dont know whats going on without your process, call your contacts and check it out. They at least owe you a vague description of where u are.
I was offered a conditional offer of employment with OPM in August 2006. Submitted SF86 in September 2006. I’m still waiting for TS-SSBI clearance. I did all the interviews, etc, last year. I’ve just had to wait since then. I’m getting close to the “find something else” point. I’ve got a family to support and can’t waste years waiting. I was told in the beginning that my clearance would be complete in 6 months.
irritated – Classic that in this case its the OPM you are trying to gain employment with, rather than some other agency or contractor. The very organization that is supposed to have made such great improvements in the process can’t get you on board in a timely manner. Good luck!
I initially received a Secret clearance when I enlisted in the USAF in 1993. I have no idea how long the process took but let me say that my background investigation probably wasn’t as straightforward as most (my mother is not a US citizen, I have lived extensively overseas, etc.) I separated from the military in 1999 and ended up working as a DoD contractor. I was put in to have my clearance upgraded to Top Secret in April of 2004 and it came through in July of 2006 (in addition to the background issues mentioned above, I had since then married a non-US citizen and travelled overseas several times). In May of 2007 a request was made to grant me access to an SCI program and I have been waiting for program access since.
I can only guess that my background has slowed things down for me in all these investigations, but you’d think that having served in the military and having held a clearance for over 10 years, that the process would be a little bit faster.
To All,
I am a Program Manager with General Dynamics. I am one of those “people” who interview you and start the process to get you your clearance. These clearances take time and if the person who interviewed you did not tell you it was going to be a long process then shame on them. A clearance usually averages 18 months. There are those rare occasions where some people get them in a matter of 3 – 9 months but that is rare. You can’t blame companies or even OPM for the wait. It is a long and tedious process. The company you choose to work for has no pull with the federal government.
And let’s be clear here, it is the federal government who grants the clearance and NOT the company. Once the paperwork goes in from the company to the government, the only thing the company can do is wait. The majority of the time we aren’t even allowed to call to find out the status. If we do, most of the time we get the same standard answer of “it’s in process”.
For “DOD Contractor” you will have an extremely hard time since you married a non-US citizen. I’d be surprised if you get it at all. For those of you who are trying to get a TS/SCI with a Full Scope Poly, please be aware that if you have any immediate family members that are not US citizens, you will probably not get the clearance. That’s just the way things are.
For Liz, please don’t post your resume on line for all to read because rest assured your company is seeing the same resumes as their competitors. You should apply to specific companies that you know you want to work for. In the Northern VA area my company, along with Raytheon, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, BAE, etc. are all good companies to apply to. If you apply directly through their web site then no one but that company will see it.
For RSD. Just because you are cleared does not mean you have a job. The company you applied to has to find you a position on a contract to put you on. If they have something at that time and you are the person with the right skills then they will probably find a position for you but it’s never guarenteed. Just a little advice though. Please do NOT put in for an administrative position. Your grammer and spelling in your post is absolutely atrocious.
All of you need to be patient and understand that it is a long process. It really depenmds on who’s “desk” it sits on and how long but that’s the government for you and there is no rushing it. But once you get that clearance it is golden. You will find that the wages are much better than in the civilian sector and you will be in high demand. So don’t give up, your time will come.
Just to let allof you know, I have a TS/SCI Full Scopy Poly. I had a CI Poly in the military prior to me being a contractor and it STILL took me 14 months to get. One of the intelligence agencies issued me my clearnace. I’ve had it since 2000.
Bruce – Good comments, and valuable for this audience. Regarding RSD above, no need to pick on someone for their writing prowess. In fact, you misspelled the word “grammar” in your own post. It’s a blog, not a thesis. Thanks again, and we hope to see you posting here again.
Bruce, Thank you for your valuable insight. Can anyone advise me on the duration / content of the investigation training for novice contractors? Also, is the class given at regional field offices or in Virginia?
I currently have a interim secret and am awaiting my final. It has been in the adjudication stage with OPM now for over 10 months. Is this normal? I thought once the investigation was over it would go through quickly.
Hi Bruce,
If I have an immediate family member who is not a citizen and the agency that offered me a position knew, beforehand, why would they let me go through the process, if I am not going to get the clearance? Also “All of” is 2 words….hahahahhah
for the record the clearance process is the most screwed system I have ever heard of in my entire life. All this time and money to protect information we can read about in the NY Times or Washington Post.
I have two questions.
1) How long does it typically take for an interim Secret to be approved? I have been waiting a month for DTRA to process my interim. The lady I speak with keeps telling me she’s putting my packet together. I suspect she is waiting for final clearance at this point.
2) How long does it typically take to process a Secret for DoD employment?
Regarding a naturalized citizen working for DOD contractor as linguist (Arabic.) Have had interim TS clearance for over 2 years. No information forthcoming from company. Is there anyone to contact? Anything that can be done? Any special problems associated with this profile?
Hello All-
Just came on this site and blog, thought I would throw in my $.02….I have worked in this field for almost 10 years, both as a Contractor (USIS) and then for the Fed (OPM) and now here. I have seen it all. I am both the e-Qip Administrator and the National Security Officer for a branch of a Federal Agency. This means I handle all processing from cradle to grave for e-Qip for contractors, as well as approving and processing all employees to be granted National Security Clearances. For the cases that we send to OPM/USIS to do, we’re currently seeing turnaround time of 18-20 months on BI and SSBI cases.
Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do but wait for “the process” to run its course. I know how frustrating it is, I’ve been there. But, I recommend bearing with it if you can. Once you have a clearance, it will do wonders for you. The very fact that they have become harder to get, and there are HUGE numbers of clearance holders retiring, makes you even more valuable once you get one. Again, just my opinion!
PS- And no, having immediate family members who are not U.S. citizens does not automatically disqualify you. But, in the post-911 world, it will make the process harder and take longer. I have been through some of the most invasive clearance processes imaginable (a certain DOD agency in NoVA who shall remain nameless. It was about as pleasant as a root canal w/o Novocain). Even though I am considered “clean” by the standards of almost every Agency, it still took them almost 13 months to give me the “OK”.
I retired after 30 years from a DoD agency. During that time I held TS/SCI clearances. I am interested if anyone has any stories about how difficult it is to get those clearances reinstated. Thanks
Can anyone refer me to a place where I can find “cleared” people? We need to find very technical folks with a poly- 4 year contract n GA. but poly’s are so hard to find- throughts? thanks
Question I have a DOD TS/SCI and I am a contractor now I was Air Force Intel Officer.
I was just offered a .gov job requiring a TS/SCI and accepted it. Will it take long for me to go from Contract to .gov? This is the first time using eqip and they made me do a new SF86. I think it is a waste of time when you have a clearence granted by OPM and DOD then you go to a .gov or contractor job and they make you do a totally new investigation when it is not needed when you have an Active and current Clearence.
Any words of wisdom why they do that?
Scott:
If only a collateral clearance was involved and your last PR was less than 5 years ago and you did not have a break in service of more than 2 years, no new SF86 would have been required. The rules for SCI/SAP access are different–if there are any complicating factors on your current SCI (waivers, deviations, conditions), if a polygraph exam is required for the new SCI/SAP, if the new agency is not the same as the old one (everything in DoD is considered the same agency), then they can require a new SF86, review your last investigation, and even initiate additional (not duplicative) investigative checks. That’s the official policy, but people have reported deviations from the policy.
I received a conditional offer from DHS headquarters in july. they said i can start work once i got a preliminary TS, and they said it would take 6-8 weeks. It’s been 14 weeks, and the only thing they will tell me is that i’m “pending.” quite literally, that’s the only word they will use. I’m beginning to dislike the word itself. is it common to have a preliminary TS take this long, and if they knew how backed up they are, why would they say 6-8 weeks?
pending:
Six to eight weeks sounds a little optimistic for an interim TS clearance. I think two to four months is a more realistic estimate for most interim TS clearances.
I believe DHS Headquarters submits directly to OPM for clearance investigations on employment applicants. There is only a little informaton available on the time it takes OPM to open a case after it has been submitted by the requestor. This can be anywhere from a couple of days to three months.
Before an interim TS clearance can be granted, the requestor/adjudicator must request and receive “advance” results of the FBI fingerprint check from OPM. Depending on the backlog at FBI this could take three months–optimum time is one month.
My time line for TS as a federal worker.
late January 2007 – SF86 and paperwork submitted
early April 2007 – medical and poly
mid April 2007 – SSBI interviews completed
late April 2007 – entered adjudication
October 2007 – some followup questions from security
early November 2007 – clearance granted
About nine months total. It appears to be a very similar timeline to “CollegeGrad” above, except that I’m somewhat older, mid-career and have done a lot of foreign travel.
Hi all,
I had a Secret clearance in 1985. Since then, I was a Director of Engineering, and Corp VP. The business failed and we lost everything. I did not file for bankruptsy, and the lawyer advised me to become “liquid”, hold no credit, cancel all existing open accounts and do no institutional banking. I am being given a contract position that requires a Secret Interim clearance and was told by my manager that my financial situation will not be an issue to hold or reject my clearance. Is this true?
Bob,
If you can answer “no†to all questions in section 27, 28, and 29 of the SF86 (regarding finances and court actions), your financial situation should not be problem.
I just came out of the Marines after 12 years as a tactical radio operator with a secret security clearance. Just before I got out my clearence had to be renewed and the investigation was finished but they did not finalize adjutication. When I applied for a job that required a security clearance it came up as loss of jurisdiction which means that it was not finished and they have to submit for adjudication. So my question is, since Im not active duty anymore can I still get it adjuticated so I can have that as an qualification on my security clearance job or resume? HELP ME!!
Jorge:
No. The only way to get it adjudicated is to be sponsored for a new clearance.
TS SSBI w Poly
2/27/06 – submitted paperwork
4/25/06 – paperwork rejected bc it was on a resume paper (too thick I guess)
7/3/06 – SFO checked on status… they lost my new paperwork.. had to resubmit
12/08/06 – called by case worker.. they are missing some of the pages of the paperwork. I faxed them in.
12/15/06 – Interviews with old neighbors start
3/14/07 – on standby poly list
4/12/07 – completed second poly (they said I passed it)
6/4/07 – meet with interviewers (went over credit etc)
**2 reports outstanding.. whatever that means.. this is my status until ….
10/30/07 – In adjudication
1/8/08 – Looks like I need another poly now.. waiting for it to be scheduled…
At 2/27/08 it will have been 2 years since I first submitted paperwork
12/08/06 – 12-08-07 is a year for processing so far
1/15/07 Um.. it looks like I am back in adjudication.. my SO called the poly place and they say they don’t have a record of me needing one. Then she checked on my status again and it now says Im in adjudication again. (Weird)
Hey Guys,
I cleared my BI and drug test for the DHS. I have only been out of college for a little over a year, so it was somewhat quick.
I’ve gone through the interview process and it was implied I’d be working ASAP. I interviewed August of 2007, and I don’t know what would be a “reasonable” amount of time to wait is, so I googled and came across this.
When I interviewed, it was really implied that I’d start ASAP. The guy said he was looking to have workers start as early as 2 months. Looking back, I realized that couldn’t be true b/c of all the things that take so much time.
After my BI got cleared, I emailed the guy that interviewed me and he said he’d look into it. But other than that he doesn’t respond to my email or phone calls. I sit around everyday checking my email every 2 seconds to see if I heard back with a response. What am I to do? I wish they would be a little more informative instead of leaving me in the dark. Sigh..
I also would like to ask if it is worth it to work for the federal government. I know theres a lot of benefits and what not, but does it outweigh the benefits of an average grunt in corporate America?
To the people that already work for the federal government, please give me your thoughts and opinions. Much appreciated in advance. Thanks all.
Hey Admin,
Thanks for your reply. I appreciate your quick response and that link you provided me was helpful. Do you still work for the DoD?
You mention in your first post that you almost “thought about changing jobs a few times.” Are you glad you didn’t and waited out the 13 months?
Also, in your personal opinion you think calling once or twice a week to follow up would be bothersome? I dont want to be annoying but at the same time I don’t want them to forget about me.
Just wanted your thoughts, or anybody else’s that wants to contribute thanks again.
Johnnie – Based on responses here and from past experience, I’d think you’ll be waiting at least three more months, and 6-8 maximum. Keep checking with your contacts to see what they know, and start looking for someone else to check on this with.
Regarding the question about working for the government, please see https://news.clearancejobs.com/2010/07/25/the-best-jobs-government-employee-or-government-contractor/.
Johnnie:
I’m glad I waited the 13 months, but the employer getting me the clearance was paying me a salary during that time and put me on unclassified work. Doesn’t sound like you have that same luxury.
One call per week should be sufficient. You might want to post a question in our “Ask your clearance questions” thread that asks what TYPE of questions you should be asking to your contacts.
Good luck..
I have been offered a job by a DOD contracting company that requires a secret clearance. I am currently working in the airline industry so I have had my FBI fingerprints done and a 10 year background done with no problems.
My question is in about 1986 I was charged with a DUI pled guilty, paid a fine. I had never even had a ticket until then so I did no community service or probation. Since then I have not had even one ticket I have good credit and never had any illegal drug use. Do you see any problem for me getting an interim and actually getting the secret clearance?
Just checking back in to say I am still in adjudication. This is getting a bit silly, how long can adjudication take? It will be 5 months in this phase at the end of March.
I received a conditional job offer with DOJ the end of April 2007 and I have been waiting for my top secret ever since, do you think this is typical?
Jennifer,
When did you submit your SF86? When was your Subject Interview conducted? Have any reference interviews been conducted? Do you have any foreign connections?
I submitted my eqip paperwork the end of May and my subject interview was also conducted in may. My references have all been interviewed, along with my professors and old employers. I do have family who live in a foreign country (Thailand) and a few of my close relatives do work with the government over there as well.
Jennifer:
The fact that you have close relatives that work for a foreign government makes your case atypical.
DOJ reported that for FY06 it took an average 164 days just to adjudicate an investigation. I have not seen any information on how long their investigations take or any more recent information on adjudications.
In your case 1 year or more is probably not unusual. DOJ will use your completed investigation to first determine whether they still want to hire you. If yes, then they will adjudicate the investigation for a security clearance determination.
Hi, here’s my timeline so far:
I received a conditional offer of employment with USAID in February 08, pending a secret clearance. I submitted all my paperwork the first week of March, my medical clearance took two weeks to go through, and my security clearance is still pending. I had some minor issues on the Sf86, and was sent yesterday two forms by my investigator regarding illegal drug use (I’ve used marijuana 4-5 times, last time was in 2003) for him to determine whether or not he’d give me an interim clearance.
I submitted my e-qip forms in July 2007 to work for FEMA PA Infrastructure as a contractor. I have not heard anything. My references and prior employers have not been contacted yet either.
A quick background check was completed along with the E-QIP, and I received a temp badge. E-QIP is supposed to be good for a 10 year clearance I’ve been told.
I had security clearances in 2004, and 2006, but they just were the short form, and a fingerprint check. E-QIP is a lot more thorough.
I sure would like to know what’s up with the E-QIP. You never know what an ex girlfriend or neighbor might say and whether that could hurt the clearance.
Just an update in case it might help someone looking for a clearance, my full clearance took about 9.5 months…I guess I am one of the lucky ones. My timeline is below
Clean SF86
Submitted paper through e-Quip – 8/25/07
Receive Interim Secret – 9/5/07
Receive Interim Top Secret – approx. 11/01/07
Receive Top Secret – 06/08
Clearances are worse than babies, they don’t come until they’re ready, and you can’t induce them, but god are you ready for it to be OVER!!
Lesse: me, almost no living family, all american, some foreign travel all as a tourist. minimal credit dings of the darn forgot to pay that variety.
Secret (no SSBI): EQUIP: 10/05, got it 11/06, this was during one of the huge slowdowns and ups. i had friends at the same company with huge drug abuse histories and bankrupcies put their stuff in after me and get their stuff prior to me. it just depends on where on the investigators desk you end up. Interim came in 24 hours. (All of our interims came in 24 hours)
TS-SSBI: because i already had the secret, the interim came within 24 hours. 10/31/07 filed EQUIP, 11/1/07 got the interim. mid november got my talk. investigator tried to finish his part by 12/31 but slipped to end of Jan. Friends and family and coworkers hassled in march, finished 6/11/08 (not that anyone thought to tell me until today)
now the next one is that i need to get a SCI upgrade, anyone know how long that may take?
Piecemeal is not the way to do it.
i posted at the end of may. here’s my complete timeline:
jan 08: interview
feb 08: conditional job offer
march 5: submitted all paperwork
march 15: clearance “initiated”
august 5: secret clearance.
they said the average was 72 days….i don’t know if that’s working days or calendar days. in any case, mine was closer to 100 working days.
A contracting company has offered me a job contingent upon getting a DOJ clearance for a position of trust (POT). They already did a 5 year background check on me using a private company. That came back in about 2 weeks and I was termed as “low risk”. So the next step was for them to request DOJ to create an e-QIP profile for me, to begin investigation for the real clearance process (I think SF85p). For some reason I have been waiting for more than 2 weeks, and nobody has contacted me about the e-QIP profile. Is/Isn’t this rather unusual?
I don’t have any credit or criminal issues, so I don’t really care about that. My real concern is my past supervisor, I worked there for 3+ years, and I left the job on my own, but I know the supervisor wasn’t terribly fond of me (She was the reason I left by the way). You think they may have contacted her before starting my e-QIP profile and decided against starting the process?
In the employer questionnaire what is the nature of questions that get asked to past supervisors?
Thanks in advance for your response.
Hellow every one. I would realy appriciate if someone could make it clear for me that how you get a clearence.. I recently moved to VA area and the field I am looking for.. almost all of them want minimum of secret clearance. What is the process? where u go.. what paper work.. I just find this website and still browsing around.. would some one be so kind and help me out. thnx all.
Elturk
Elturk – First requirement to get a clearance is being a US citizen. If you can find an employer that is willing to sponsor you for a clearance, they will initiate the process on your behalf. Final clearances take anywhere from 9-18 months to obtain as you will see by looking at candidate posts on this forum.
You cannot obtain a clearance on your own. You will need to find an employer willing to sponsor you, assuming you are a legal US citizen.
Krahi – I’m guessing it is doubtful your past employer will be contacted for Position of Trust clearance. Possible, but doubtful. Your waiting time is common, and you may expect to wait a few more weeks/months before you hear anything new. Good luck
I have a secret security clearance. I am scheduled to leave the Army Reserves in August 2009. Will it still be valid for up to 10 years? I want to get into government work
I recently was told that I did not pass the interim clearance. However my company keeps telling me that OPM has told them that my clearance is still pending. Can any one tell me what exactly that means. Does that mean that I stand the possibility of being approved or is it game over for me.
Hi, I googled and I believe came across the right blog. I worked for private companies for now almost 10 years at professional level and recently first time I applied for a job that requires security clearence. I received call back asking me for to have an interview with them. I am a US citizen and I have no problem at all with credit history and criminal history except I had one speeding ticket. I was also a smoker but I stopped it from last 8 months. I am new to this world and I was reading all post above and now I am hoping for to get some answers for the questions that I have. Currently I am working and it will be my only job to pay all bills. My spouse is not a US citizen but only a green card holder. My all immediate family members are all US citizen but not my mother as she has only a green card. I and my spouse also have little rough family personal relation with my family but its all due to social stuff. I also do not have a lot of friends that I know of from many years. My work history is excellent and I can get absolute nice feedback. I also made several international travel due to sicial reason or for vacation time and I may expect more in future. My spouse’s immediate family mmbers are living out side of US and no one has any rights to live in US.
My questions are: if I pass in interview, will they initiate security clearence work for me? if they do, will I be ask to work for them until I get security clearence or they will wait until I get security clearence? According to my situation, what are my chances to get security clearence and what will be the time to get one? Should I go for an interview with them or just keep working at the place I am working right now? Please excuse my english and grammar as my job highly focused on technical skills rahther than english. Thanks
I am currently waiting for clearance (not sure what level) for contractor position with customs.I submitted all my forms/fingerprints two weeks ago and I was told that the entire clearance process usually takes about 6-8 weeks to complete. I’m currently unemployed due to layoff at my most recent job and hope that the clearance process doesn’t take any longer than 8 weeks.
I applied for and received a definite offer for a position with Army. The position is a Re-employed Annuitant not to exceed 2 years. Pay Band 2 (GS12/10) I was told I could not receive a interim security clearance because I owe IRS over $5,000.00. I was advised this is a OPM requirement. I have arrangements with IRS and pay monthly payments. They do not a have a levy or lien on my home. I called OPM and they advised me that did not give DOD activities requirements to follow that they only do the investigations. They referred me to DOD Interim Security Clearance Office. The gentleman there advised me that there is no threshold of $5,000 and that individuals being considered for the interim clearance should be looked at as a “whole person.” The position was withdrawn, however there was no mention of the denial of clearance only that they reassessed the demands of the job and stated they needed a person with more experience. I have the experience they required and they subsequently offered me the position. I suspect this is age-related, as I am a retired Federal Administrator.
Anyone have any ideas about what is happening here and what I can do?
I am a recent college grad. I received an offer which requires top secret clearance from Lockheed and I have a spotless background. I’m a citizen and everyone I know is a citizen. I have had a history of using marijuana, however. The worst thing on my record is that I have had 3 traffic tickets when I was 16. Now I’m 22 and the last time I used marijuana was over a year ago and before that it had been a long time too. It was never a habitual thing, it was only on the occasion when a friend happened to offer. What are the chances that I will get denied top secret clearance? I also know that the average wait time is 18 months, is that current? Also, does anyone know whether Lockheed tends to provide intermediate work while waiting for the clearance? Any information would be beneficial.
I am interviewing for a position that requires a secret clearance.I have a messed up credit history and a dUI on my record in 2011.What are the chances of passing the secret clearance.I employed right now and passed the background check on my current job
I have held a TS clearance for 25 years, and am up for a SSBI Periodic Update. I was interviewed in April; have several issues, mostly financial: took a 50% cut in income when I retired from Gov Law Enforcement, and as a result ran into financial difficulties, am trying to get a loan mod on my house; taxes are late for 2012. Today, an OPM rep from Boyers tried to reach me. Never, has that happened. Do you think he is going to tell me that I can expect my clearance to be yanked because of these negative issues.