I was curious about something. If someone has a top-secret security clearance - can they mention it in an e-mail to a prospective employer or client? I assume the reason they would mention it is because it shows that the person is most likely trustworthy.
Any thoughts?
Not only can they, they should. The number of people who cannot pass the lowest level NACI (sad, but most are related to bad credit in a bad economy) makes a TS something coveted by employers. First hand knowledge here.
If you are dealing with a topic that requires a clearance, then it’s fine. People list it on their resumes if they are pursuing a career that demands it.
I’ve been told that the process of of conducting a background check to get an employee a govt clearance can cost an employer as much as 70K. So if you already have one, it’s definitely something that should go on a resume.
The reason to mention it is not to show that you’re trustworthy. It’s to show that you have a clearance, and therefore might be able to fill jobs that require access to classified information.
I just applied for a job and during the application process they asked if I had one. The job I’m looking at is a 1 year contract so they won’t hire someone without one because it can take that long to get one.
Absolutely. Just be careful describing what you were doing with that TS.
Definitely. I went to a job fair representing my employer once and talked to a kid who apparently had one. I then told him that he needed to get it on his resume. We pretty much made two piles…the ones that had clearances and the ones who didn’t. If you didn’t have a clearance, you had a 1% chance of getting an interview with us. If you had a clearance, you had a 25-30% chance of getting an interview with us.
I mostly agree with slowguy. The main benefit of putting it on is to get a job that requires a clearance. For everyone else, it may only make a small difference, but not nearly as much as having the right skills, degree, and experience.
Over the past few years, because of my research, I’ve got a bunch of emails asking if I were interested in joining this or that company (mostly gov related, mostly in DC). Then I have to say ‘well, just so you know, I’m a permanent resident but not a US citizen yet,’ so forget about clearance. And then it falls through. Which is a bummer actually, because some of these jobs look really cool. So I guess if you have one then say it. Looks like it opens a lot of doors.
+1000
If you currently have a job that handles TS realted material or information, good idea to run your resume through your PSA to check to make sure you’re not including information that would be deemed not releasable.
mentionning your clearence is ok, they don’t have to know why you have one and what kind of work you did or do.
There are no restrictions on revealing that you have the TS. Most have it because they handle TS material. Some never see the content. If someone seems reluctant as to why they have it, it may be because they have signed a non-disclosure agreement.
Agree with the consensus. Not only can you, but you should. Avoid discussing particulars.
dan
That is WRONG that it costs an employer ANY money to have a background investigation done and its a myth that is held over employees head, like the company did them a favor to get the clearance.
http://www.dss.mil/ through http://www.opm.gov/ pays for the investigation, just like employers are not authorized to revoke clearances, only the government can do that.
“That is WRONG that it costs an employer ANY money to have a background investigation done”
I don’t believe that’s true. I’m fairly certain that govt contractors are required by law to cover the cost of obtaining clearances for their employees. OPM charges them (and the DoD for that matter) for the service. I don’t know if the link below is up to date, but OPM has a cost scale for clearances.
As the owner of my company and have one of the topic clearances , I have never been charged for anything including my cage code.
I read the same article that you did, but since it’s not a .mil or .gov. I don’t put any weight behind what is posted on the site.
Here’s the billing table from OPM.
http://www.opm.gov/investigate/fins/2010/fin10-08.pdf
"I read the same article that you did, but since it’s not a .mil or .gov. I don’t put any weight behind what is posted on the site. "
You’re going to have a hard time getting much from the internet if that’s your standard.
To make things clear, I’m am a self employed government contractor.
Agreed, that the service(s) are not free, but the fees are not passed back to the employer and those fees are not even close to all the myth fees.
I can only speak for DoD. I have never worked with any other agencies, which may have different rules, or guidance for both federal employees and contractors that work for them; but in the 15 years that I have been involved with the government, I have yet to hear of a company that has been charged, including my own.
Again if you work with different agencies, YMMV.
And again you’re right there isn’t much on the internet.
This Security Clearance Frequently Asked Questions is pretty complete, but it’s on a .com so take it with a grain of salt.