A security clearance can be a significant advantage for a veteran or soon to be separating service members who are seeking employment. Thousands of employers in fields such as commercial defense and government agencies are seeking to find qualified employees with active or current security clearance positions. Skills in demand vary greatly but include engineering, programming, intelligence, overseas careers, accounting & finance and much more.
Why Veterans with Active or Current Security Clearances are in High Demand?
Background checks for a security can take anywhere between a couple months to over a year to complete and can cost thousands dollars. At any given time there are hundreds of thousands of back logged background investigations pending security clearance. Employers can’t wait this long or afford the cost therefore HR managers are seeking out qualified veterans with active or current security clearances. Also, an individual cannot get a security clearance for themselves. A current or prospective employer has to sponsor this clearance.
How Long is a Security Clearance Good for After the Military?
Generally, a security clearance after separation from the military is good for 24 months or 2 years. It may be less if the periodic investigation window expires less than 2 years at the time of separation. For instance, re-investigation for a SECRET clearance occurs every 10 years. If separation from the military occurs 1 year prior to the re-investigation than that service member would have 1 year left on their current security clearance instead of 2 years.
What are the Statuses of a Security Clearance?
There are three types of statuses for a security clearance.
- Active – Present job requires use of a security clearance.
- Current – Had a job in the past two years that required use of a clearance.
- Expired – More than two years since that person had a job that required a clearance.
Current security clearances are fairly easy to reinstate and thus in high demand to employers. Expired clearances or more than 2 years since leaving the military are more difficult to reactivate.
Are There any Other Benefits to a Security Clearance?
Yes! In addition to increased job prospects typically these positions can earn thousands of dollars more than counterpart positions that don’t require a security clearance. Finding qualified employees with clearance can be expensive employers put a premium as it relates to compensation in order to fill these positions.
What are the Types of Security Clearances?
- Confidential – Information that reasonably could be expected to cause damage to the national security if disclosed to unauthorized sources. Most military personnel are given this basic level of clearance. Reinvestigated every 15 years.
- Secret – Information that reasonably could be expected to cause serious damage to the national security if disclosed to unauthorized sources. Reinvestigated every 10 years.
- Top Secret – Information that reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security if disclosed to unauthorized sources. Reinvestigated every 5 years.
- Sensitive Compartmentalized Information (SCI)
- Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI)
Examples of Government Agencies Hiring Security Cleared Professionals
- Air Force Intelligence
- Army Intelligence
- Border Patrol
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
- Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Coast Guard Intelligence
- Defense Intelligence Agency
- Department of Defense
- Department of Energy
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Justice
- Department of State
- Department of the Treasury
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
- Marine Corps Intelligence
- NASA
- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
- National Reconnaissance Office
- National Security Agency
- Navy Intelligence
- Secret Service
- Transportation Security Administration
Examples of Private Companies Hiring Security Cleared Professionals
- Accenture
- Aerospace Corporation
- Bechtel Corporation
- Boeing
- Fluor Corporation
- General Dynamics
- General Electric
- General Motors
- Grumman
- Hewlett-Packard Co.
- Honeywell International Inc.
- IBM
- Jacobs Engineering Group
- KEYW
- Lockheed
- Martin Marietta
- McDonnel Douglas
- Raytheon
- SAIC
- TASC
- United Technologies
- URS
Examples of Jobs that Require a Security Clearance
- Accountant
- Administrative Assistant
- Business Analyst
- Business Development
- Cartographer
- Cost Estimator
- Counterintelligence Analyst
- Cryptanalyst
- Cryptologist
- Customer Service Specialist
- Cyber Security
- Engineering Technician
- Executive Assistant
- Financial Analyst
- Foreign Language Interpreter
- Foreign Language Translator
- Fusion Analyst
- Intelligence Analyst
- Linguist
- Logisitcs Analyst
- Mathematics
- Network Engineer
- Operations
- Pricing Manager
- Program Analyst
- Project Manager
- Radar Analyst
- Sales Manager
- Security Analyst
- Security Officer
- Sign Language Interpreter
- Software Developer
- Software Engineer
- System Administrator
- Systems Engineer
- Technical Writer
- Toponymist
- Transportation Security Inspector
- Web Developer
