A security clearance is one of the hottest commodities a current or potential federal contractor can have. It's also one of the most confusing for employees, who are often handed a set of forms with no context or additional information.

The U.S. government uses clearances to counter threats that may stem from foreign intelligence services, organizations or people who wish to overthrow the government and individuals who are dishonest or may be susceptible to pressure or improper influence.



Who Must Have a Security Clearance?

Anyone in a position that requires access to classified information must have a clearance. Clearances are generally granted to a particular level of information, so a job that requires access to confidential information would require a confidential clearance.

Access to classified information requires two elements: the appropriate level of security clearance and a "need to know." Just having a clearance does not guarantee access to all classified information.

Clearances and Jobs

The federal government does not issue clearances directly to individuals. Clearances are tied to positions, so a person who wants a clearance must apply for contractor or federal jobs that require clearances. Some positions within the military also carry clearances.

Cleared positions -- positions with the federal government and its contractors that require access to classified data -- often come with higher salaries than non-cleared positions.

Reciprocal Clearances and Clearance Transfers

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is the largest grantor of security clearances, but many other agencies operate their own security programs. Clearances granted by these agencies generally may not transfer anywhere else. If two agencies allow clearances to be transferred between them, this flexibility, known as reciprocity, can save both contractors and the government time and money by preventing duplicate investigations.

Wikipedia states that "Investigations conducted by one federal agency are no longer supposed to be duplicated by another federal agency when those investigations are current within 5 years and meet the scope and standards for the level of clearance required." However, some federal agencies do not recognize others' equivalent clearances and will insist on another full investigation.

Active and Inactive Clearances

A person either has a clearance or does not; there are no in-between states. "Current" and "active" are synonymous in this context, as are "inactive" and "expired."

A clearance becomes inactive when the position no longer requires it or the person holding it leaves the position. Clearances are fairly easy to reactivate within 24 months (unless the five-, 10- or 15-year reinvestigation would fall in that period). After that, reactivating a clearance can be difficult. Take a look at this GovCentral article for ways to preserve and reactivate security clearances.

Clearance Controversies

In the wake of the 2010 WikiLeaks release of more than 250,000 diplomatic cables, the "largest unauthorized release of contemporary classified information in history," the President's Intelligence Advisory Board began a review of the executive branch's handling of classified information. According to NextGov, "The board is tasked with ensuring that agencies have a proper understanding of the requirements in safeguarding classified information, getting a general sense of government officials' attitudes on leaks, and assessing how the government handles sensitive information and documents."

More on Security Clearances
Check out these other articles in the GovWin Knowledge Library.
Types of Security Clearances
How Security Clearance Investigations Work
Obtaining a Facility Clearance

Links & Resources

"Are You Eligible for a Security Clearance?"
http://govcentral.monster.com/videos/quizzes/57-are-you-eligible-for-a-security-clearance

Military Security Clearances
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/security.htm

Security Clearance FAQ (PDF)
http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_clearance_faq.pdf

Security Clearances Can Pay Off
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/08/AR2006020802348.html

This article is part of GovWin.com's jobs and staffing resources. Check out the GovWin staffing section, ask the experts a question or follow @HireGovCon on Twitter for the latest govcon job listings.

Lindley Ashline is the Web editor at GovWin.com, the network that helps government contractors win new business every day. She can be reached at lindleyashline@deltek.com, or you can follow her on Twitter @lindleyashline.