Anyone familiar with getting federal security clearance?

[LJ]

I accepted a job offer with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service and I have to fill out all this paperwork to get my security clearance and I have some questions and my HR contact is out till Wed morning and I would really like to have this completed when she is back so I can go in for my security interview. If you have any experience getting civilian security clearence in the past year or so, please let me know so I can ask some questions

[mmrmnhrm]

I did mine back in '00 just after graduating when I was a contractor for Northrop-Grumman. What sort of questions you got?

[Tractor]

I got the clearance for DFAS and Rickenbacker. Lots of fun. You'll need places you've lived and worked for at least the last 5 years maybe 7. Not sure if they really did change it to only 5 years or not. I heard they did. You'll also need 1 or 2 people that can be used as references to prove you lived/worked at those addresses during that time. They had us do the paper forms and then a long ass computer based form.

 

Evan

[Lustalbert]

I could tell you, but its classified.

[Dr. Pomade]

*Security, we have a Level 2 breech in Sector 4 of this thread. Quarantine and eliminate the source. Over.*

[Mojoe]

*Security, we have a Level 2 breech in Sector 4 of this thread. Quarantine and eliminate the source. Over.*

 

Roger that.

 

Bodycount, this is Bravo Base. Surround and eliminate all enemy in Sector 4 of level 2. How copy?

 

Roger that Bravo Base. ETA to local is 3 min. Will commonsense termination of all enemy in that sector. Body Count out.

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Bravo Base, this is Body Count. Enemy eliminated. Be adviced, we have a possible thread jack. Over.

[LJ]

I got the clearance for DFAS and Rickenbacker. Lots of fun. You'll need places you've lived and worked for at least the last 5 years maybe 7. Not sure if they really did change it to only 5 years or not. I heard they did. You'll also need 1 or 2 people that can be used as references to prove you lived/worked at those addresses during that time. They had us do the paper forms and then a long ass computer based form.

 

Evan

It is for DFAS, I got into the LIM program... My only problem I am having is... I was a college student, so my work history does not cover all time for the past 7 years, I have breaks, do I just put student in there to cover those breaks in time where I had no job? Also, at a job I had in High School, the whole company changed and I have no contact there anymore, what should I do about that?

[LJ]

What level of clearance is it? I have a Secret clearance, which is above Classified but below Top Secret. For mine all they did was a routine background check and called a list of friends I paid off to say I'm a good guy (kidding). For anything higher, they would have sent two men in black to come out and talk to past/present neighbors, family, friends, previous employers, blah blah. I'm pretty sure accounting is low-level stuff so expect them just to check for any felonies.

 

pretty sure I have to get secret

[mmrmnhrm]

LJ, at least when I did it, my work history looked something like this:

9/96-6/97: Student Ohio University Athens OH 45701

6/97-9/97: Lifeguard Brecksville Community Center Brecksville OH 44141

9/97-6/98: Student Ohio University Athens OH

6/98-9/98: Stock Associate Best Buy Parma OH ..........

 

Basically, when you're a full time student, that *is* your job, especially if you were on any sort of financial aid. What you need to remember, though, is that if you held a part-time job while a student, you'll also need to mention that in the "extra info" area at the end of the form, with corresponding dates/contacts.

 

Edit: About that job in HS where the company changed... If you remember the name of the original company, look them up and give them a ring. Ask for the HR contact's name and number. Talk with that person and let them know what's up. Generally (and especially since you were only in HS at the time), all the DSS wants to do is verify that yes, what you're saying is the truth. If that company's gone out of business, you will want to ask the FSO (Facility Security Officer) in charge of getting you cleared what to do. They'll likely either say leave it off, or to put the school administration as the contact.

[Tractor]

Yeah if you were a student then you obviously couldn't have work history for them to check anyway so I wouldn't worry about it to much. Its not really part of the hiring process its just part of base security and I'll bet they just run your SSN and if that and some other simple things come back okay they don't even bother checking into all your history. Its just incase they find discrepencies and have to investigate further. Of course if you had anything to hide applying for a job with the government wouldn't be the smartest way to stay hidden.

 

I had companies that went out of business on my forms as well and I had no problems.

 

Evan