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I have been reading alot of hype on security clearances and how valuable they are, I am wondering what is so great about them if you are applying for a civilian position as a civilian cant they just do the nessicary paper work to get you a security clearance if your job warrents it and they want to hire you. I mean I guess if it came down to it and 2 people had the EXACT same qualifications and one had there clearance already it might save the agency some hassel to do the civilians paper work but thats the only benifit I can think of and these days the odds of 2 people having the same credentials are slim to none, these days an enlistee with a clearance who just got out applying for a DOD job may be going up against PhD's in engineering with this crumby economy.
Some civilian companies do their own form of "security" clearances, like credit checks.
Government security clearances are different issues. Some government jobs require a recent clearance. Bringing a clearance up to date is generally faster than initiating one on an individual who has never had a clearance.
All things being equal, somebody with a clearance has an advantage over somebody who doesn't. Just like all things being equal, somebody with a PhD has an advantage over somebody who has a Bachelors.
I don't think it is overhyped, but it also depends on the area. Here in DC, MD, and Northern Virginia Security Clearances are worth a lot, but in other areas of the country they might not be as valuable. If you have a TS/SI clearance with a full scope polygrahp you'll always have a job.
Thats true, but if I have a PhD in math or engineering and no military experience and someone who gets out of the military with a clearnace who do you think they are going to hire? All things being equal the clearance might buy you something but a PhD is alot harder to get than a clearance so I am guessing they will pony up to do a first time clearance to hire a PhD. I just think that military members over hype the security clearance's to the detremient of young enlisted members who think they can write there own ticket because they have a clearance. I just wonder why its so over hyped, if you are going to hype anything why not hype a PhD in math or physics or whatever so the hype is warrented. Is it a recruiting strategy to hype something that really is not a big deal?
Military personnel get up to four "Veterans Points" when applying for a US Government job. That can make a difference. But it does not guarantee they will get the job.
Everyone in the US Military actually has a Security clearance. The Commander can grant a clearance based on the "Need To Know".
As an example look at how many jobs there are at Los Alamos Labs in New Mexico, most of which are not veterans. There are other US Labs with the same situation.
My wife is a Federal Employee with a clearance and she was selected over veterans several times. Sometimes a veteran was selected,
I do not see anything "over hyped" and you really have not proven it with verifiable data.
Your scenario "a PhD in math or engineering and no military experience and someone who gets out of the military with a clearnace who do you think they are going to hire?" is just one of thousands of possibilities...
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 12-05-2015 at 04:21 PM..
Thats true, but if I have a PhD in math or engineering and no military experience and someone who gets out of the military with a clearnace who do you think they are going to hire? All things being equal the clearance might buy you something but a PhD is alot harder to get than a clearance so I am guessing they will pony up to do a first time clearance to hire a PhD. I just think that military members over hype the security clearance's to the detremient of young enlisted members who think they can write there own ticket because they have a clearance. I just wonder why its so over hyped, if you are going to hype anything why not hype a PhD in math or physics or whatever so the hype is warrented. Is it a recruiting strategy to hype something that really is not a big deal?
I dont think its hyped up. There are some military members that must have a top secret security clearance to be able to handle the sensative information that goes with their job. They have to renew their clearance every so many years and if they lose their clearance, they lose their job. Just like any other job. Even when I worked at a job that is under the DoD, I had to have a security clearance also. My husband knows people who have lost their security clearance because of debt they have.
As for jobs, they are going to hire the best person for the job. Each time my husband returns from a deployment, he has more business cards for civilian jobs where they want him to come and work for them because of his professionalism and his knowledge of how to do his job.
I have been reading alot of hype on security clearances and how valuable they are, I am wondering what is so great about them if you are applying for a civilian position as a civilian cant they just do the nessicary paper work to get you a security clearance if your job warrents it and they want to hire you. I mean I guess if it came down to it and 2 people had the EXACT same qualifications and one had there clearance already it might save the agency some hassel to do the civilians paper work but thats the only benifit I can think of and these days the odds of 2 people having the same credentials are slim to none, these days an enlistee with a clearance who just got out applying for a DOD job may be going up against PhD's in engineering with this crumby economy.
A clearance can only take you so far in any economy. If you don't have the requisite skills then you will not get hired.
The only way that I see an enlisted without a bachelors beat out a PhD is if the enlisted did the actual job that the company is looking for, and even then, the competition is stiff. Also don't forget that the enlisted members are also competing against officers with security clearances.
I thought clearances were really expensive and that is a big part of the reason companies like you to bring your own.
My husband's last clearance involved a gentleman walking around our neighborhood talking to our neighbors and asking questions about him, among other things.
There's plenty of people who don't get clearances. The interesting thing is that a lot of folks who may have a "history" LIE about it in the forms and that's why they don't get the clearance. Had they just been honest about it, it prob would've been fine so if you ever go through one, DON'T LIE!
It is often easier and cheaper for a company to hire someone with a clearance and train them to do the job, than hire someone who can do the job and get them a clearance.
Time is another factor a person with a clearance can get in the right away, a person with no clearance may get paid just to sit around waiting on a clearance.
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