By Derrick Dortch
Special to washingtonpost.com
Friday, June 23, 2006; 6:00 AM
Finally, after months of searching and interviewing for government and government contractor jobs, you get the good news -- you won the position -- with a condition attached.
The condition: The job is yours following the successful completion of a background check that will determine your suitability for a U.S. government Top Secret, Secret or Confidential security clearance.
This is called a "conditional offer," meaning that there is no guarantee that the job is yours until your background investigation is complete and you are cleared. Given the importance of this process to your career, there are a few facts you should know about it and how it works.
What it All Means
Background checks, conducted in the interest of national security, are required to determine if a person is reliable, trustworthy, of good conduct and character, and of complete and unswerving loyalty to the United States. Not all government and government-related jobs require such checks, as it depends on whether or not the position requires a security clearance to access classified information.
The type of clearance required, meanwhile, depends on the information used to perform each job's duties. There are three primary types of clearances, determined by the agency that handles the information (or the president and vice president) and generally described as follows:
¿ Confidential clearances are for positions accessing information with the potential for damage to national security.
¿ Secret clearances are for positions accessing information with the potential for serious damage to national security.
¿ Top Secret security clearances are for positions accessing information with the potential for exceptionally grave damage to national security.
Individuals holding higher-level clearances are allowed to see lower-level information -- so, for example, someone with Top Secret clearance can also see information marked Secret and Confidential.
Two other types of specialized clearances are worth noting. Sensitive Compartmented Information clearances provide access to all classified information handled within a specific "compartment" -- essentially, a group working on specific matters, such as cryptography or nuclear weapons. Special Access Programs clearances, meanwhile, allow access to particularly sensitive information beyond the Top Secret level.
The Investigation
Clearances are required by the government based on the specific needs of certain positions. This means you can't apply for them on your own: The government or its contractors are the only groups that can start the clearance process, and as such you (and the employer) don't foot any of the bill.
The check begins when an offer is extended. You'll be asked to fill out the National Security Questionnaire, which when submitted kicks off the process. (Experts insist that it is in your interest to be as honest and thorough in your answers as possible so that no inconsistencies are unearthed by investigators later. If they believe you're withholding information or, worse, lying, that could mean rejection.)
Two separate procedures follow: the background investigation and the adjudication process. (Neither is conducted by your hiring manager, who won't see any of the information or details involved -- only professionals who conduct clearances do.)
The background investigation, conducted by employees of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) or its contractors, involves:
The Decision
After the background investigation, the investigators give every report to adjudicators, who begin their work -- "an examination of a sufficient period of a person's life to make an affirmative determination that the person is eligible for a security clearance," according to the Adjudication Desk Reference, a tool developed to assist security clearance adjudicators, investigators and security managers.
Adjudicators are interested in information on the following topics:
Based on the background investigation, adjudicators look for conditions that raise security concern and might be disqualifying -- as well as conditions that could mitigate the security concerns. When concerns are identified, adjudicators are asked to consider:
Based on their evaluation, a final determination is made. If an application is denied, notification is usually sent by letter, and failed applications can generally be appealed. Candidates can also reapply -- for the same position or a new one -- after a year, and are often subsequently cleared if they can demonstrate improvement in the area or areas that held them back. (Of course, depending on the reasons for denials this may not be possible.)
If an application passes, a temporary clearance is issued. This process usually takes no more than 45 days; the interim clearance, awarded if no major red flags, such as serious criminal or financial issues, are found, stands until full clearance is awarded. That process can take anywhere from three months to two years, depending on the clearance factor or such factors as whether you have lived abroad.
Once awarded, the clearance is yours for as long as you hold the position. If you leave, it moves to a semi-active status -- you can no longer view classified information, but if you are hired for a new position you don't have to go through another check -- for 24 months. Individuals with clearances, meanwhile, must submit to reinvestigations every five years.
Derrick Dortch is president of Redford, Mich.-based career development firm The Diversa Group, which has a regional office in Washington, D.C.
