What Jobs Can I Get With A Top Secret Security Clearance

What does information technology take to get a acme hugger-mugger security clearance or TSI? There are three basic classifications for security clearances, and all who apply for them must undergo a background investigation before they can exist awarded.

How To Get Top Secret Security Clearance (TSI) The iii basic security clearance levels are:

Confidential/Public Trust (the lowest level)
Secret (mid-level)
Top Secret (highest basic security clearance level)

What does it have to earn the highest security clearance? To begin, it helps to understand what information technology means to obtain and concur a clearance. The most bones rules for security clearances, no matter what agency you desire to work for, include the post-obit:

You must apply for, and be hired for or assigned to a position that requires a clearance in club to utilize for the clearance itself. Your new supervisor or Hr department will initiate the procedure or tell you where to get to exercise so.
You will utilize for task-specific clearances rather than simply applying without having a need to do so. In other words, you can't apply for ANY clearance without a task requirement–even if you anticipate getting hired, you must wait until that process is official.
Whatever existing clearance may or may non travel to a new agency. This will depend profoundly on circumstances and avoiding a new background bank check is non guaranteed.
Clearance levels are assigned on an every bit-needed ground. This means you don't apply for a clearance level you don't require to do your work. If your work involves a need for a Secret-level clearance rather than a Top Secret classification, you cannot apply for Top Hush-hush as a "just in case". You lot will be required to utilize for the highest level of clearance you really need to perform the work.
The investigative process requires extensive information from the bidder regardless of the level you demand. A Confidential-level investigation may inquire the same questions every bit the Summit Hush-hush level.

What It Takes To Get A Acme Cloak-and-dagger Security Clearance

The first step afterwards you have interviewed for a job and have been hired? One time you lot starting time your security clearance journey, it takes being every bit honest as possible during the entire process on both the forms and with the personal interview (meet below). The more transparent the applicant is, the easier the process will be overall.

That does NOT mean it won't be as time consuming, only investigations have some of their about mutual delays when clarifying information given by the bidder. If you are misleading, inaccurate, or deliberately misrepresent certain areas of your life, the process tin take longer than usual. Only that process Will movement forward.

The procedure of obtaining a Top Hush-hush clearance involves an extensive groundwork investigation. Confidential and Hugger-mugger investigations are thorough, but the Top Surreptitious version is the most intensive.

No, most applicants won't find any difference at all–the process is non as transparent to the applicant as some might think and the overall procedures are more often than not identical for all investigations. Expect a LOT of questions and expect those questions to cover a ten-year period of your life at a minimum.

Applicants for clearances are required to fill out Standard Form 86, Questionnaire For National Security Positions. You volition exist asked questions on the form and in the personal interview on the following subject matter areas:

Fidelity to the United states
Foreign Influence
Foreign Preference
Sexual Beliefs
Personal Conduct
Financial Considerations
Alcohol Consumption
Drug Involvement
Psychological Weather condition
Criminal Conduct
Handling Protected Data
Outside Activities
Employ of Information technology Systems

How you answer this form determines a great deal about how your investigation process will go; applicants are judged on how truthful they are on this form. And how does the investigator know you've been truthful or not?

Information technology's Chosen An Investigation For A Reason

Once you have given your answers on the class your answers are checked. This is done by referencing all available records including law enforcement at the local, state, and federal level, by checking your nascency records and other private data you requite on the form. Your college transcripts and other documents are sought, and people you accept known will exist contacted and interviewed.

The contact information for your friends, family, roommates, partners, spouses and ex-spouses is all gathered from the applicant to the best of their retentivity. The answers yous provide on SF-86 will exist cross-referenced with the records and interviews of the people y'all've known.

And the applicant herself is interviewed in add-on to filling out the lengthy SF-86. This is another way of gathering information for the process and helps to round out the data already collected on paper.

Penalties For False Statements

Those who fill out SF-86 are brash of the penalties for making faux or inaccurate statements in the form or interview process. SF-86 warns applicants:

"The U.S. Criminal Code (title 18, section 1001) provides that knowingly falsifying or concealing a fabric fact is a felony which may result in fines and/or upwardly to v (v)years imprisonment". Add to that the fact that the federal agency which hired you usually fire those who accept "materially and deliberately falsified" information on SF-86 or other forms and yous tin can run into why honesty is the best policy.

Approval Potency For Security Clearances

The terminal decision fabricated on an individual bidder for a national security position rests with the bureau that has hired yous and requested the investigation process. Those who have difficulty in the screening and investigation process volition be given the opportunity to clarify, refute, or explain details in question prior to a final determination being made.

Types Of Jobs That May Require Security Clearances

The first type of employment chore seekers often recollect of in reference to a Top Secret level clearance oftentimes include espionage, cyber security, military intelligence gathering, research and development, and other high-level work.

But there are enough of other jobs within the federal government and elsewhere that may require the highest classification. These jobs usually require a classification because the workers routinely handle sensitive data or considering the work eye is in a controlled access location. These jobs may include, simply are not limited to:

Software Reliability & Maintainability Engineer
Digital Engineering Annotator (TS or TS/SCI Clearance Required)
Adjacent Gen GEO Pb Space Engineer
Operational Level of State of war Training Team Cyber/Information Warfare
Senior Business Manager
Quality Assurance Manager
Systems Engineer
Senior Executive Assistant
Business organization Process Engineer
Project Manager
Primary Systems Analyst
Master Systems Engineer
Chief Engineer

Getting a security clearance may sound intimidating; the procedure may feel intrusive and you may not enjoy the lengthy form-filling and question answering. Only the results are definitely worth the endeavour. Obtaining a job and a clearance means open doors in the future due to your ability to obtain and maintain your Top Secret clearance.

About The Author Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a erstwhile reporter for Air Force Television News