How to Obtain a DOD Safety Clearance
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How to Obtain a DOD Safety Clearance

If you’ve been looking for jobs and noticed that there are many jobs that require you to have a DOD security clearance, you might be interested in how to get one. Before I get into how to get a security clearance, let me define what a security clearance is and what it is used for. It is important to know the different levels of classified information and how someone can access it. There are a few things you can do that will improve your chances of finding a company willing to get a permit that I’ll talk about. I will then discuss what process you will go through and what is expected of you during this process.

When information or material may compromise our national security, it is classified as Confidential, Secret or Top Secret. To access classified information or material, you must first have a clearance level equal to or higher than the classification of the information or material itself. You must also have a need to know before you can be granted access. If you do not need the information or material to complete your project, you will not be granted access. The classification levels, Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret have clear definitions to define them. Depending on the level of classified information or material that a person in a specific position is responsible for handling will determine what level of security clearance they will need to possess to get the job. The following are the three levels of classifications that you can find on the Army.com website in much more detail.

To obtain a security clearance from the Department of Defense, you must be a US citizen.

“From lowest to highest, the security levels are Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret. The higher the security level, the more damage your content can cause to national security if compromised.”

Now that you know what a security clearance is and what it’s needed for, we can talk about the ways you can get one and why you should want one. You can’t get a clearance yourself, but if you find a company willing to hire you for a position that requires you to have a clearance, the company will start the process and pay for the background check. Getting you a clearance is not a cheap date for the company and although they start the process and pay for background checks, there is no guarantee that you will be granted one. That’s why when a company has a job opening that requires a security clearance, they look to fill it with someone who already has an active clearance or has had one in the past. Since you haven’t had a clearance in the past, it’s going to be a bit difficult to get your foot in the door. You will need to do a few things that will make you appear more attractive to potential employers. Aside from joining the military, the two best things you can do to improve your chances would be to get the education and certifications the company is looking for, and be willing to work in places where it’s hard for them to get people to go.

Take a look at the job description of the positions you want to require a security clearance and find out what kind of certifications they are looking for and make a note of them. Everyone wants to look for new jobs, but you want to start looking for positions that are six months to a year old. These positions may still be there because they have a high turnover rate or because they can’t find anyone to fill these positions. Take note of these companies and their locations, go directly to their company website and search for jobs in that area. If there are a lot of jobs at that location that have been open for a long time, this may be a place that the company has a hard time getting people to go to. Examine the jobs they have that you qualify for and take note of the certifications they require.

Some places you’ll want to visit would be Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, Diego Garcia, Tully Greenland, and Ascension Island. Those are some places that don’t pay very well and are far from civilization, so companies have a hard time getting people to work in those places. However, there are advantages in those places if you do not have a permit. They are more likely to hire you and get your first security clearance. You may qualify for the foreign earned income exclusion and they provide lodging and transportation to and from work. Most places also have a cafeteria where you can eat for free as part of your compensation for working there. If you want to make more money and are willing to take a risk and work in the Middle East or parts of Africa, you will be able to find companies with job postings in those areas to get a security clearance and the pay will be much higher. .

Before you start applying for a job, there are a few things you’ll want to do first. You will want to make sure you have all your traffic tickets and taxes paid. It doesn’t look good if you have a warrant for your arrest when you apply for a security clearance, even if it’s just for a few unpaid traffic tickets. You’ll also want to make sure your credit reports show that you’re current on your payments or at least have payment plans in place with your debtors. You don’t have to have great credit to get an authorization, but you should at least be able to show that you have your finances under control. You must also be qualified for the positions you are applying for. When you noted earlier what certifications job descriptions required, you did so to make sure you have the right education the company is looking for. I’ll discuss some easy ways to take care of all of these things so you’re ready to apply for any clearance job.

The first thing to make sure is that you do not have outstanding warrants for unpaid parking tickets or unpaid traffic violations. This can be fixed fairly easily in most states. All you have to do is go to your state’s DMV website and enter your driver’s license number and see if there are any tickets listed. If your state doesn’t have that option, the website should at least tell you where to go to find this information. It may take a while for them to process the payment, but this is something you’ll need to sort out before requesting a security clearance. You’ll also want to make sure you’re not behind on your taxes and if you’re setting up a payment plan with the IRS. Everyone hates dealing with the IRS, but it’s really not that bad. I have never had a problem with an IRS agent that I have called for help. They are very flexible when establishing payment plans or giving extensions. You will need to have this set up before the background check can take place, so start this process as soon as possible. You will also need to make sure your state taxes are up to date. The IRS doesn’t deal with state taxes, so you’ll need to contact the proper authorities in your state to make sure your state taxes are in order.

You must show that you have your finances under control, even if it is a letter from where you owe money to indicate that you acknowledge that you are behind in payments and have agreed to a set payment plan. I believe that anyone with an authorization should have a subscription to one of the three credit reporting packages from the credit reporting companies. A three-pack of credit reports will give you a copy of your Trans Union, Experian, and Equifax credit reports. It’s important to get a copy of your credit report at least once a year so you can check for errors. You can do this for free by going to each of the credit reporting companies listed above and submitting a request for your free annual credit report. However, signing up for one of the three credit reporting plans makes cleaning up your credit much easier. The reason you need to get copies of the three major credit reports out there is because each one can be very different from the next. Something that shows up as paid on one credit report could still show up delinquent on another report. This is because the creditor you paid failed to show that you paid your bill on all three statements. A big problem with creditors is that they are quick to put late payments on a credit report, but may not bother to write down payment on that debt.

Once your credit report is in order and you’ve paid your traffic tickets and taxes, it’s time to turn your attention to education. When you made that list of certifications and degrees companies are looking for, you did it so you can start taking some classes. Start with the certifications that are required of you to get one of the jobs you think you have the best chance of getting. The jobs that you will have the best chance of getting will be the ones that you seem to have a hard time filling. You can do it either by night classes or online classes. If you don’t have all the desired certifications, you’ll be less likely to be offered a position. If you can find a boot camp in a country like India, Thailand, the Philippines, or China that can speed you up, it may be worth going to one of those places to get your certifications. The classes in those countries are quite cheap but the flight is going to cost you a little money. If you choose to go to a school in your area, it may take a little longer, but you won’t have to take any vacation time outside of work to go. Even if you only have a few of the certificates wanted by the company, you have to ask for them, the only thing they can do is not call you. Every time you get a new certification or finish a degree, update your resume and send it back to the company.

Each of these steps will improve your chances of being picked up by a company willing to get your first security clearance. Your chances improve vastly with each step you complete. However, to have decent odds, you’ll need to be willing to work in an area that a company has a hard time getting people to go to. These types of places will be in remote locations and probably won’t pay as well. You will also need to be willing to stay as long as it takes to get your clearance. That means you could be waiting a year for clearance while the company has you working on projects that aren’t classified. They may also choose to publish their start date until their authorization is granted. That means you’ll have to keep working at your current job until then or find a job that will hold you until then if you’re currently unemployed.

Getting your authorization for the first time will take a while and the higher level of authorization you apply for, the longer it will take. You have to be willing to wait and be willing to possibly sign a second contract with the company if your clearance hasn’t come through yet. If you don’t already have a clearance, your best chance would be to apply for jobs that require a lower level of security. The only thing you need to know about the background check is not to lie and fill out the authorization application as detailed as you can. If you only worked at one location for two weeks, you still need to list that on your security clearance application. When you get your OK, even if you don’t break your contract with the company, you should finish your obligations before looking for a higher-paying job elsewhere. You can even request a transfer with the company that hired you.

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