Yeaaahhhhh I don't think gomichild is right with the "naive" definition. I'm thinking more like...
dis·in·gen·u·ous
Pronunciation Key (dsn-jny-s)
adj.
1. Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating: “an ambitious, disingenuous, philistine, and hypocritical operator, who... exemplified... the most disagreeable traits of his time” (David Cannadine).
2. Pretending to be unaware or unsophisticated; faux-naïf.
3. Usage Problem. Unaware or uninformed; naive.
There's an intermediary step where you can get fucked directly by your registrar rather than some squatter. It'll cost you more than a renewal would have but possibly less than a squatter would want.
If the question is just one of it being too onerous for the possibility of failure, the best thing you can do is actually look at form SF-86 [pdf]. This is what you'll fill out for S or TS. The only real difference is that a TS also necessitates a 10 year-span background investigation. Meaning that the doobie you enjoyed 8 years back becomes relevant with a TS but may as well have not happened for a S.
If everything else about the job sounds appealing to you, I'd suggest you go for it. Contrary to conventional wisdom you don't have to be squeaky clean to get one.... it just makes the process go by much faster. That may or may not be a problem depending on the situation.
I don't think you have understood my concern about the speed of getting the clearance, and I suggest you do concern yourself with this. I recently spoke with a woman who accepted a job offer from SAIC a few months before graduation, and that job required a secret clearance. Past of getting hired involved paperwork that said if she bailed out on them before 1 year of employment she was liable for $10,000, the estimated cost of getting her clearance. As a new grad she was willing to accept this limitation since it was likely one she'd impose on herself for resume building anyway.
However when they were unable to get her a provisional clearance they said okay, this'll probably be through in about 8 months. We'll call you. She managed to find work in her field before she had to head to Wendy's to make rent, but she'll still have to leave there and go to SAIC once that clearance is done unless she writes them a $10,000 check.
So be careful what you agree to with this job.
"For anything not on record, demonstrate that you are worthy of the clearance by demonstrating good judgement skills and an ability to keep your mouth shut."
I cannot claim the personal experience you can on the subject of getting cleared, but in my dealings with literally dozens of people with S and TS this is the exact OPPOSITE advice every one of them has given. Every one of them has always been explicit in saying that when we were asked questions about them by interviewers (which might not happen with many people in your life for Secret but will DEFINATELY happen for Top Secret) we should answer each and every one of their questions completely honestly.
SO, if you're going to take the above advice, be aware: just because it's not on record doesn't mean they're not going to ask your buddies about it, or your neighbors. I've had investigators knock on my door and ask me about people who live four houses down (who I have never met). In an interview for a TS for a cow orker who I have been out to a happy hour with exactly twice I was asked several questions about what I knew about her husband.
Frankly Fes, I'm a little surprised by the question at all. In most circumstances the process for a civilian to get cleared to Secret, much less TS, is well over a year. If the right agencies and people are involved you can have a provisional secret fairly quickly, but the bar for TS is exponentially higher. How this organization could hire you to do a job which you would presumably not be cleared to do for several years is a mystery; it's this shortage & backlog that is responsible for the atmospheric salaries for people with existing clearances.
Yeaaahhhhh I don't think gomichild is right with the "naive" definition. I'm thinking more like... dis·in·gen·u·ous Pronunciation Key (dsn-jny-s) adj. 1. Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating: “an ambitious, disingenuous, philistine, and hypocritical operator, who... exemplified... the most disagreeable traits of his time” (David Cannadine). 2. Pretending to be unaware or unsophisticated; faux-naïf. 3. Usage Problem. Unaware or uninformed; naive.
posted by phearlez 18 years ago
In "Curious George: Domain Renewal"
There's an intermediary step where you can get fucked directly by your registrar rather than some squatter. It'll cost you more than a renewal would have but possibly less than a squatter would want.
posted by phearlez 18 years ago
In "Curious George: Top Secret!"
If the question is just one of it being too onerous for the possibility of failure, the best thing you can do is actually look at form SF-86 [pdf]. This is what you'll fill out for S or TS. The only real difference is that a TS also necessitates a 10 year-span background investigation. Meaning that the doobie you enjoyed 8 years back becomes relevant with a TS but may as well have not happened for a S. If everything else about the job sounds appealing to you, I'd suggest you go for it. Contrary to conventional wisdom you don't have to be squeaky clean to get one.... it just makes the process go by much faster. That may or may not be a problem depending on the situation. I don't think you have understood my concern about the speed of getting the clearance, and I suggest you do concern yourself with this. I recently spoke with a woman who accepted a job offer from SAIC a few months before graduation, and that job required a secret clearance. Past of getting hired involved paperwork that said if she bailed out on them before 1 year of employment she was liable for $10,000, the estimated cost of getting her clearance. As a new grad she was willing to accept this limitation since it was likely one she'd impose on herself for resume building anyway. However when they were unable to get her a provisional clearance they said okay, this'll probably be through in about 8 months. We'll call you. She managed to find work in her field before she had to head to Wendy's to make rent, but she'll still have to leave there and go to SAIC once that clearance is done unless she writes them a $10,000 check. So be careful what you agree to with this job.
posted by phearlez 18 years ago
"For anything not on record, demonstrate that you are worthy of the clearance by demonstrating good judgement skills and an ability to keep your mouth shut." I cannot claim the personal experience you can on the subject of getting cleared, but in my dealings with literally dozens of people with S and TS this is the exact OPPOSITE advice every one of them has given. Every one of them has always been explicit in saying that when we were asked questions about them by interviewers (which might not happen with many people in your life for Secret but will DEFINATELY happen for Top Secret) we should answer each and every one of their questions completely honestly. SO, if you're going to take the above advice, be aware: just because it's not on record doesn't mean they're not going to ask your buddies about it, or your neighbors. I've had investigators knock on my door and ask me about people who live four houses down (who I have never met). In an interview for a TS for a cow orker who I have been out to a happy hour with exactly twice I was asked several questions about what I knew about her husband. Frankly Fes, I'm a little surprised by the question at all. In most circumstances the process for a civilian to get cleared to Secret, much less TS, is well over a year. If the right agencies and people are involved you can have a provisional secret fairly quickly, but the bar for TS is exponentially higher. How this organization could hire you to do a job which you would presumably not be cleared to do for several years is a mystery; it's this shortage & backlog that is responsible for the atmospheric salaries for people with existing clearances.
posted by phearlez 18 years ago
(limited to the most recent 20 comments)