Top secret clearance allows you to access information that could do severe damage to national security if it were disclosed without authorization. It requires a rigorous Single Scope Background Investigation and must be reinvestigated every five years.
광주흥신소Investigators search law enforcement, court, credit and other records to see if your actions violate guidelines established by the Department of Defense. Personnel security specialists known as adjudicators make clearance decisions.
Job Security
Most cleared jobs, especially those at the highest levels of the intelligence community, are considered “sensitive positions.” This means that you must either have a top secret clearance already or be able to get one within a short period. The good news is that in-demand skills (such as software developers and those with foreign language fluency) can help speed up the clearance process to a matter of weeks or months, rather than several months or years.
Clearance investigations are thorough, requiring fingerprint checks and record searches on both commercial and government databases. The investigators also interview people who know the clearance applicant well and may conduct a psychological evaluation, referred to as an Enhanced Subject Interview. If issues surface during the investigation, they can be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and could lead to disqualification. If you have a Tier 5 clearance, for example, you must pass a periodic reinvestigation every five years.
There are three levels of DOD clearance – confidential, secret and top secret. The top-secret clearance enables access to DOD documents marked as classified TS, which is information that should only be shared on a need-to-know basis. To obtain a top-secret clearance, you must first have a DOD secret level clearance and a reliability status determined to be satisfactory. The DOD also issues special “tickets” that grant access to Sensitive Compartmented Information, but those are based on the discretion of department heads on a case-by-case basis.
Career Advancement
Many job opportunities with government agencies and defense contractors require an active Top Secret clearance. In these positions, you will likely earn a higher salary than in non-cleared jobs. This is because the FBI makes more in-depth inquiries into your background for a Top Secret clearance than a standard federal employment suitability investigation (NACLC).
The security clearance process can take 6 to 9 months. The investigation digs into financial records, contacts with family members, neighbors and friends, as well as your education and military history. The clearance level is based on whether the information could cause grave damage to national security in the event of unauthorized disclosure. You must pass a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI). Your clearance must also be reevaluated every five years.
A TS clearance provides access to classified material that requires restricted handling within compartmented channels. It is also referred to as Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI). You cannot obtain this level of clearance on your own — you must be sponsored by a government agency or company with a contract that requires classified performance.
A TS clearance is highly sought after by professionals in the defense, intelligence and cybersecurity industries because it allows them to work on advanced national cyber defense projects. It’s important to note that your sponsor must pay for your security clearance and renew it regularly.
Salary Boosts
A top secret clearance opens up additional employment opportunities, which can lead to higher wages. However, this level of clearance is not a guarantee for salary advancement.
Regardless, cleared employees do tend to earn more than their counterparts who don’t hold a security clearance. This is due to the level of trust and responsibility that comes with a clearance. Government agencies and defense contractors often pay their clearance holders more than their non-cleared peers.
For example, those who work with sensitive information and data in a cybersecurity role can benefit from having a top secret clearance. This allows them to access classified intelligence related to cyber threats and support national security efforts. This is also true for other careers that rely on classified information and data, such as data analytics, systems engineering and software development.
ClearanceJobs reported that salaries for clearance holders increased by 7% last year. The average clearance holder earns $125,611 in total compensation. ClearanceJobs notes that this figure is likely influenced by the fact that the process of obtaining clearance can take weeks or even months, though times have shortened post-pandemic.
For those who want to know how much more their Top Secret clearance is worth, ZipRecruiter has identified at least five jobs that pay more than the average Top Secret Clearance salary. These positions include a cyber analyst, software engineer, system designer and director of cybersecurity, among others.
Discretion
Discretion is the ability to use your best judgment and make decisions. In the context of a security clearance, it is important for individuals to use discretion when communicating with others about classified information and how it can be shared.
Confidential, Secret and Top Secret are three levels of classified national security information. The different levels are based on the amount of damage to the United States that could be caused by unauthorized disclosure. The federal security clearance process focuses on character and conduct, evaluating issues such as honesty, trustworthiness, reliability, financial responsibility, credit, criminal activity, emotional stability and foreign influence.
Federal security officials conduct background investigations on candidates for access to classified information in the government and at private companies. These investigations examine a person’s past, present and potential future relationships that could impact his ability to keep secrets or to continue in his job. The process includes checks of the applicant’s character, conduct, beliefs and associations and reviews of his background, education and employment.
The level of classified information you need for a job determines what type of investigation you need. In general, all positions that require access to classified information are considered sensitive. Positions with Confidential or Secret information are non-sensitive; those that need to access Top Secret information are critical sensitive; and those that need access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) or other Special Access Programs are designated as special sensitive.