Security Clearance Careers Podcast

Your neighbor: “Do you suffer from PTSD?” “If I did, I probably wouldn’t tell you. Why would you even ask that?” This might be a common exchange between civilians and military service members. These myths about military life – and after the transition – are perpetuated by civilian assumptions. For this episode of ClearedCast, Steven Matthew Leonard and I do a deep dive into military myths. No matt...

The Office of Personnel Management released proposed changes to the standard forms used to process security clearance eligibility. The updated Personnel Vetting Questionnaire replaces the SF-86 and SF-85 forms, and provides an updated process consisting of a single form with different segments. Sections on drug use are clarified and mental health are sectioned out, creating what is hopefully a mor...

Starting his career as an enlisted soldier at the age of 17, he understands the requirement to recruit great people and develop true leaders at organizations. Chris Schmitt, former Army Special Forces Green Beret and owner of Azimuth Consulting, joins the Security Clearance Careers Podcast to talk about his 30 years of service in the US Army and how the lessons learned from special operations in c...

One of the more confusing aspects of seeking employment with the federal government is the vetting process. While many people are aware of the security clearance process, few realize that each agency also has its own suitability guidelines. Sean Bigley, security clearance attorney and Lindy Kyzer, ClearanceJobs discuss suitability and why it often seems like the wild, wild west of the federal gove...

The great spy balloon freakout: from January 28th to February 4th, 2023, a Chinese operated high altitude balloon was seen across North America, so entered North America through Alaska, went through Western Canada, was shot down on the East Coast. And we've had several other strange unidentified objects in US airspace. And I saw recently that Russia is also operating these spy balloons and they're...

The Office of Personnel Management recently released a draft version of a new Personnel Vetting Questionnaire, the replacement for the SF-86, SF-85, and SF-85P. In a period of public comment, the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) offered its feedback on the upgrade to everyone's favorite security clearance application. Larry Hanauer, Vice President of Policy at INSA sat down with...

Some recruiters in the national security space also serve as active-duty military spouses or mentors, and being a part of the military family ecosystem can influence the way they recruit in a positive way, but also lend insight into some of the no-nos that happen in the cleared networking space – perhaps due to educational gaps that service members are unaware of when reaching out to recruiters; t...

Lindy Kyzer with ClearanceJobs and security clearance attorney Sean Bigley discuss alcohol consumption issues and your security clearance. The question becomes - is alcohol use a mitigating factor in other negative behaviors that come up in the clearance process? Alcohol is frequently used as a 'justification' behind other issues that come up, such as domestic abuse, assault, or other poor judgmen...

Starting as a community college student with no idea who she wanted to be when she grew up, Aisha Bowe spent a lot of time having anxiety around testing, and basically existing, because she was afraid she was going to do it wrong. But in a state of relaxation, she realized that really complicated things that usually come as a challenge to people, she was doing with ease. Bowe embarked on a career...

The Security Clearance Careers podcast (AKA ClearedCast) welcomes Christopher Burgess, contributor to the ClearanceJobs news site on intelligence, security and espionage topics, for this episode on insider threats, travelling abroad safely for missions, and other espionage current events. Christopher is an author and speaker, and served 30+ years one of the three letter agencies, living and workin...

ClearanceJobs Founder and President Evan Lesser talks about why 2023 will be the hardest year yet in cleared recruiting. The defense budget is growing, government contracting needs are increasing, and the number of folks working in national security positions remains relatively stagnant. Without a massive influx of new talent, government contractors and agencies are largely competing for the same...

Many larger defense contractors offer money as a motivating factor for candidates when they are evaluating a compensation package for a new employer. Bonuses aren't new to the recruiting equation, but they are becoming more common. Tune in to find out different contractors that are offering sign-on bonuses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Open source information is frequently discussed as the future of intelligence analysis. But too many agencies are still caught up more concerned about definitions than moving the discipline forward. Matthew Scott, senior vice president and mission technology strategist at Avantus Federal recently wrote an op-ed for Cipher Brief  calling for new open source leadership . He joined the program t...

A 32-page affidavit explaining all the schemes, all of the shell companies and all of the big players was leaked to the press. The former General Counsel For ZTE turned whistleblower joins ClearedCast to hear about his chilling story outlined in his book, “Standing Up To China,” where he uncovered some pretty shocking things about the company trying to get around US export laws . Ashley Yablon is...

Digital engineering is a must-have requirement for government contractors in certain areas. And as the Digital Engineering Lead for KBR’s Aerospace Engineering Group, Greg Best says KBR is the best place for digital engineers to work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a job seeker, there are some notable differences whether you are applying directly to the government or under a defense contractor supporting government programs. For this episode of the Security Clearance Careers Podcast, we host two recruiters, one from government and the other industry, to chat about differences cleared candidates should be aware of when applying to either entity in national...

Obtaining a security clearance can be a catch-22 situation. You want to work in a national security job, but you don't already have a security clearance? Fortunately, security clearance processing times are improving and many companies are willing to sponsor your security clearance if you're interested in a position. Here is how you can demonstrate you're 'clearable' to a potential employer and fi...

For this episode of the Security Clearance Careers podcast, we speak with Sarah Adams, an award-winning targeting officer and global threat advisor with extensive domestic and international experience. From 2015 – 2017 she served on the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Benghazi, and prior to the committee, was a lead Targeting Analyst at the CIA. She joined the Agency in 2006...

If you have issues in your past or things that you haven't had a chance to mitigate through passage of time, a conditional security clearance can help you get to work while you take steps to prove your ongoing trustworthiness - whether it's submitting to regular drug testing or continuing to file taxes faithfully for a period of time Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hon. Ellen McCarthy, chairwoman and CEO of the Truth in Media Cooperative and the former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research joins ClearedCast to discuss the role of information and media and how disinformation and misinformation are affecting the security landscape. Trust in media is at an all-time low. At the same time, most Americans say they believe that me...

Drowning in the “sea of good will” while navigating the military transition is a serious possibility while there are so many resources at the service member’s fingertips – especially online. Helping veterans fight this newer battle of transitioning from the military, on a battlefield that looks much different from the war they have come to known is something that Misty Moreno has dedicated herself...

The holidays can hit hard, and create unique hang-ups for your clearance eligibility. The change in schedules, routine, family matters, and other factors can create potential security clearance issues. The most critical thing to remember is that self reporting issues is the best step you can take to maintain your clearance eligibility. Holiday issues are the exact types of things that could be mit...

If you've served as an officer or in many enlisted positions, a security clearance will be one aspect of the job. The military security clearance process is largely the same as that for other positions, whether contract or support. Some due process and other procedures are slightly different. But here are a few things individuals should be aware of as they consider the military security clearance...

Obtaining a security clearance is a hot commodity for those that lose it after lapsed time or for those looking to get their foot in the door to the high salaries being offered to someone with a TS / SCI + polygraph. As a student or younger professional, you may not know where to start in the process. Kishan Modali joins the Security Clearance Careers podcast to talk about best practices for netwo...

Your life is much more exciting to you than it generally is to the government. Hence many people are unnecessarily concerned that the contents of their SF-86 will somehow end up as fodder for water cooler talk or will somehow be a source of office gossip. The reality is that information included on the SF-86 is covered by the Privacy Act - that means what you include can not be broadly shared. "Fo...