What is a Security Clearance?
Simply put, a Security Clearance is a determination of what information a person may have access to, when it has been classified by the US government. A classification of information occurs when the information has been determined to possibly be detrimental to the safety of the nation. The government uses a “need to know” basis to determine who needs access to what.
There are varying levels of security clearances, but the most standard ones are as follows:
Public Trust – Not technically a security clearance, more related to getting access to personal info, such as medical records or contact info.
Confidential – An uncommon clearance, related to information that may cause damage to national security if released. Requires a National Agency Check with Local Agency Check and Credit Check (NACLC) to obtain.
Secret – One of the most commonly used security clearances, related to information that may cause serious damage to national security if released.
Top Secret – Related to information that would cause exceptionally grave damage to national security if released. This involves fairly detailed background checks, including the NACLC, as well as a more in-depth Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) which is focused on particular topics that this position will be related to, such as counter-terrorism or national defense.
Sensitive Compartmentalized Information (SCI) – often called TS/SCI, this is a tactic often deployed by the government to increase security, by keeping a tight hold of potentially volatile information segmented within very specific departments, i.e. “compartmentalized”. An SCI is like an “add-on” to an existing clearance, and requires being “read on” to a project, in order to learn the additional rules about security, and keeping potentially dangerous information safe.
Polygraphs (Full-Scope Poly, CI Poly, etc.) – this is undoubtedly the most involved level of investigations to obtain a security clearance. It involves going through a polygraph test, just like those in the movies, in order to be cleared for access to the most sensitive levels of information. There are different types of topics discussed in a polygraph interview, all which dictate what type of additional clearance you have. One is called a “Lifestyle Polygraph”, and related to your personal life, background, and overall morality (and yes, it can get incredibly personal). Another is called a Counterintelligence Polygraph, also called a CI Poly, related to any personal or professional ties that you could possibly have to any terrorists. One of the most common types of polygraphs administered is called a Full-Scope Polygraph, where it combines all of the other questions and topics for all of the other types of polygraphs, and can even take up to 8 hours of questioning. Many people wonder how the US government can be allowed to conduct these exams, and under what grounds are they allowed to know this information, but it’s all in the name of national security. The government’s main concern is that there is nothing about your life as an individual that could possibly be used as “leverage” by America’s enemies in order to convince you to reveal any sensitive information.
Can I get a Security Clearance on my own?
Unfortunately, no, you can not obtain a clearance on your own. You need what’s called a “government sponsor”, i.e. an agency that has a need for work to be done, and that work contains a topic that is a matter of national security. That agency then needs to officially declare that the work done by that position requires a clearance to perform, and they have to select you to perform that job. It would be fantastic if a security clearance could be self-sponsored, like a technical certification, or the TSA Pre-Check in order to get through the airport faster! It would certainly open up a lot more possibilities for career growth for many people! But the secretive nature of doing the sensitive work that requires a security clearance is counterintuitive for self-sponsoring. In order for a position to be cleared, that means that a lot of government officials have had to confer, and use their expertise to determine the best ways for this sensitive national information to stay secure. That means that in order to have one, you definitely have to have a government agency as the sponsor for your clearance.
What do I have to do to obtain one?
One thing that recruiters hear a lot from candidates who do not have any security clearance is “I’d be willing to go through the process to get one!”. And that is undoubtedly the most important first step. With the higher average salaries assigned to positions that require security clearances, plus the important missions and national security ramifications that a security clearance entails, it’s no wonder that most people would jump at the opportunity to obtain one, but to actually get one is much easier said than done!
There are 4 phases to obtain your security clearance:
1.) You must be hired onto a project, and hired into a position that requires you to have a security clearance. There must also be adequate time for the government to grant you a clearance before the work is scheduled to begin, or else they will move on to a candidate who already has an active clearance and can start much sooner.
2.) You must fill out the requested Personnel Security Questionnaire (also known as the SF-86). Depending on the level of clearance required, and the agency granting the clearance, there will be varying amounts of personal information that you’re required to divulge. Usually the higher the clearance, the more information is needed, and the more years in your life will be investigated. In all, the SF-86 is an extremely long government form, and requires absolute accuracy and honesty to obtain your clearance
.3.) The government agency conducting the investigation will perform a detailed background check. Again, the level of the required clearance will dictate approximately how long your background check will take, and also how detailed it will be. Some items that are always included in every investigation are your financial history, your criminal history, your educational history, and your work history. For some higher levels of clearance, the government might even send out an investigator in-person to talk to family, coworkers, friends, and neighbors, in order to get a sense of who you are as a person. When people say “clearances are expensive to obtain” this is what they mean; it’s a lot of work hours from paid professional investigators!
4.) Your clearance is adjudicated. This is the final “ruling” of if you’ve obtained your clearance or not. Sometimes people are granted an “Interim Clearance”, which means the person is allowed to begin working in the position they’ve been hired for, but the investigation still might technically be wrapping up. Sometimes the final adjudication is that you’re unfit for a clearance, and your request is denied (most often for financial reasons – click here to learn more about that). But usually, if you’re accurate and honest with your information, you haven’t committed any crimes, and you’ve paid every bill on time, you should get your clearance fairly quickly! The time it takes to go from when you first complete your SF-86 to when you’re finally adjudicated always varies. Sometimes a very high level of clearance can require over a year of investigations, and sometimes a lower level clearance can be granted in a matter of weeks – but every case is different, and don’t worry if your investigation seems to be taking longer, or shorter than what appears to be normal.
Why do I want a Security Clearance?
On average, a security clearance can earn you over $10,000 more in annual salary. Sometimes it’s an even higher earning when you have one of the rarest levels of security clearance, such as a Full-Scope Polygraph. The reason behind this is multi-faceted: firstly this reflects the time, budget and effort that went into obtaining a security clearance to begin with. From filling out the incredibly detailed SF-86 forms, to the human investigators that must look into every adjudication, that’s time and money and people-hours put forward for each person who has a clearance! Secondly, usually everything that is rare in life tends to have more value. ODNI (Office of the Director of National Intelligence) data suggests that only 2.9 people in the US have security clearances that they’re actively using. Out of the 320+ million people, that’s not even 1% of the population! Third, and most importantly on why people with security clearances earn higher salaries is because of the sensitive nature of their mission. In order for something to become classified, the information has to be determined “critical to national safety” – so the people who have security clearances are in charge of undoubtedly some of the most important information in our entire nation. Of course they’ll be well compensated!
Speaking of the mission – when you speak to many people who have a security clearance, the most important thing that they find satisfying about their job is the nature of the work that they do. Sometimes they’re focused on supporting the men and women in the US military. Others are focused on securing our nation’s strategic assets and natural resources. Other times they’re working with sensitive intelligence that can help America strengthen our diplomatic relationships internationally. People who have security clearances, by and large, tend to be incredibly satisfied with the careers they have, and the jobs they perform.
How do I keep my Security Clearance “active”?
The most important way to keep your security clearance active is to use it! Keeping it “active” means that you are currently in a position that requires you to have a clearance, and you are currently performing work that utilizes that level of clearance in order to do your job. The US government definitely has a “use it or lose it” attitude when it comes to active clearances, and if you’re not in a position that requires you to be using the level of clearance that you have, eventually it will lapse, and become inactive. That means that in the future, you’d have to start the investigation process all over again, just to go up to the level you previously had. (That’s right, even going up levels in clearances requires a new investigation! Although they usually take much less time.) In order to make sure people are still ‘worthy’ of having a security clearance, the government conducts what are called “Periodic Reinvestigations” (or PRI’s). When it is your time to have a PRI, you need to work closely with your Facility Security Officer (FSO) – i.e. the person in charge of coordinating and completing the investigation paperwork for everyone on your project. Oftentimes you have to be your own best advocate, in order to make sure your PRI is completed on time, and satisfactorily. FSO’s have to manage the clearances for lots of individuals, and all too often, a person will switch projects while under Periodic Reinvestigation, or perhaps not complete all of their paperwork, and just assume that the FSO will track all of that information and take care of them – and this is not always the case! The PRI is usually not as in-depth as the first time you go through an investigation, but they will check up on a lot of the same things they asked you the first time around. The PRI’s focus will be on any financial troubles you may have had, any illicit drug use, any new criminal history (including drunk driving), etc. Since it’s only covering the past few years (usually 5 years maximum) from when you first got your clearance, it shouldn’t take as long though to just get updated.
The most important thing is, if you enjoy having a security clearance, because of the work you do, the national mission, and of course the salary, then you need to keep it active by actually working on projects that require the use of it, and you need to stay out of any and all kinds of trouble!
Thanks for reading all of this, and we hope you had fun learning about clearances for the US government!
Sources & More reading:
https://cybersecurityguide.org/resources/security-clearance/
https://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/security-clearance-jobs/getting-security-clearance.html
https://news.clearancejobs.com/2021/02/11/obtain-security-clearance/