Hi Kelly,

I served eight years in the Air Force in electronic countermeasures.  I had a Top Secret security clearance while I was in and my wife had a Secret Clearance while working with civil service. I have been out for a while now and have been in industries that did not require security clearances. I want to get back into an industry that does require a clearance. How do I approach this issue now since my clearance is not “active?” What is involved to make it active and is this something I need to do or let the hiring company perform this task? My son is in the Army and presently serving in Iraq. He has a security clearance, as does my son-in-law that works for a government contractor so it shouldn’t be hard to get it again.
 
How do I handle this issue?
 
Thanks for the help.
 
Jack Stange

Dear Jack,

Most companies that require clearances will perform all the necessary filings and research to get those clearances "active" again. With the current backlog of thousands of federal and homeland defense employee applications this process can take up to nine months. When applying to TS level jobs the employers will advertise them as "ACTIVE" if they need to be.

All others will get you active if you have completed your SBI (Special Background Investigation). Typically this lasts for seven years but can vary based on the level of access. DO NOT list TS, TS-SBI, or any other clearance on any actual resume that you post online as it puts you at a higher risk for hackers.
 
Here is a good link that shows all the different clearance levels: http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-u-s-security-clearance-terms

I hope that helps you out!

TAKE COMMAND,

Kelly
 

Kelly Perdew, winner of “The Apprentice” is ready to answer your career questions. Just send your questions to AskPerdew@military-inc.com, and he’ll tell you how to “Take Command” of your career.