Cleared Recruiting Resources

Certifications are not only a key recruiting and retention strategy — they can also increase your chances of winning contracts, driving revenue growth. Candidates who hold certifications show a strong commitment to their professional development, which in turn can contribute to the success of your organization.

It may be safe to say that not a lot changes comparing one year to the next in any regard, but what about looking back five years? When looking at 2019 to 2023, security clearance holders have experienced notable (and positive) differences in their compensation.

The Northeast has a lot to offer cleared candidates. From Maine down through Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and ending in Maryland and the District of Columbia, clearance holders have a lot of opportunities throughout the Northeast.

Life below the Mason-Dixon line has more than just sweet tea for cleared candidates. In fact, 42% of the cleared population call the Southeast their home.

Year-round sunshine and wide, open spaces make the southwest region a great place for cleared candidates looking to avoid the cost, congestion, or commutes of the coasts.

Life in the West is for the trailblazers and pioneers. While housing prices in some states makes mining for gold a tempting pastime, cleared compensation keeps pace with other high-priced regions.

Gone are the days when the Midwest was simply a flyover zone between Washington D.C and California. With a lower cost of living and commutes that don’t kill your joy, the Midwest has strong career opportunities for cleared candidates.

Inside Special Report: Cleared Engineering and IT Compensation, you'll find how this compensation differs from all cleared professionals drilled down by clearance and polygraph, certifications, location and much more.

The 2024 Security Clearance Compensation Report breaks down cleared compensation by clearance and polygraph level, location, career level, government agency, satisfaction and much more.

Is the grass really always greener on the other side? ClearanceJobs compared both contractor and civilian responses from our 2023 Security Clearance Compensation report to see just how different each side of the national security workforce is.

Location, location, location. That phrase is typically reserved when discussing real estate, but its meaning works for compensation, too. Location is the critical factor in salary, especially in the cleared industry where remote work isn't as available as in the private sector.

Learn about current and potential future policies, and read four case studies of actual appeals cases that revolved around drug use.

Companies are coming up with innovative solutions to differentiate themselves in this highly competitive environment. Relocation, retention, rehiring, and remote work are essential factors for your recruitment strategy.

We've gleaned dozens of statistics to compile this year's 2024 Cleared Recruiting Guide. How do you and your recruiting team stack up?

Alcohol abuse, misuse, and/or incidents can cause security clearance denial or revocation as alcohol consumption is one of the 13 adjudicative guidelines used to assess clearance eligibility.

The work our nation's cleared community performs is secret by nature, but the landscape of this unique workforce isn't any longer thanks to our latest deep dive. How do you and your organization stack up?

Insider threat and risk are critical issues for any company, but for those who work with the federal government (or want to in the future), the stakes are even higher.

A compensation study on the transition from active duty to veteran in national security. Learn more about average compensation, location, education, certifications, and more.

With only 20% of the intelligence community under the age of 40, attracting more young professionals to a cleared career is critical. But this age group is either highly uninformed about the government's drug policies, or deterred by the marijuana ban.

Employers can’t count on talent to come to them – recruiters have to go to the candidate. One of the best and most efficient ways to do that is through employer branding.

As educational levels rise, earnings increase and unemployment decreases. But how much more can you earn, and how does the unique combination of being cleared and educated add to compensation?

ClearanceJobs has identified the current top recruiting problems and addresses how to solve them.

Unemployment has long been a victim of stigma, and the cleared industry is no different. In this candidate's market, that stigma has begun to fade.

Job hopping used to have a negative connotation—but today's competitive job market has changed, causing the stigma to subside.

Certifications = confidence all around. For cleared recruiters, a certification not only demonstrates willingness to put in extra effort, but also validates experience.

Thousands of servicemembers transition out of the military each year and have a big decision to make: which field to choose post-military?

AI is developing fast, and it has a huge opportunity to change the way government hires for cybersecurity roles and staffs its cybersecurity teams.

ClearanceJobs recently surveyed companies hiring cleared professionals to glean insight into arguably one of the most challenging verticals in the hiring business.

The term 'business as usual' will have a whole new meaning, but how drastic will the change be?

National security workers are an educated bunch, with higher percentages of higher education. But how much does it really pay to pursue a degree?

How to attract and retain cleared veterans.

Onboarding has always been important, but it becomes even more important in a virtual setting.

COVID-19 has stalled the economy, and unemployment rates are skyrocketing. However, recruiting must continue. But how?

What are a few things you can do to expedite your hire?

5 Ways COVID-19 is Impacting Cleared Hiring

5 tips for cleared employees navigating remote work options.

84% of cleared professionals are likely to move in the next year. How can you retain them?

A deep dive into the ClearanceJobs database cleared professionals, looking at current and desired salary, willingness to relocate, and more.

4 Recruiting Must-Dos + 5 Never-Dos in today's cleared marketplace.

Learn the four must-do recruiting tactics and three actions to avoid below.

How to prevent poaching in a candidate's market.

Six tips for making college recruiting a part of your cleared hiring strategy, plus five tips to speed up the security clearance process.

Criteria to consider when writing a description for your security-cleared posting.

Conduct phone interviews more efficiently and uncover qualified security-cleared candidates more quickly.

Add these tactics to your arsenal to move your recruiting from excellent to exceptional.

Security clearances are once again making national news headlines. The good news? More interest and energy around personnel vetting and the security clearance process. The bad news? More bad ideas and uninformed opinions about how best to improve that process.

It's the beginning of a new year and with that brings our fresh look at what's going on with the security clearance process. One of the biggest takeaways? Processing times have increased.

Reflect back on the big acquisitions, hiring initiatives, opportunities, and growth of 2023 before looking ahead to next year. You'll also find a link to listen to Security Clearance Expectations for 2024, an interview featuring Sean Bigley, Lindy Kyzer and Evan Lesser.

The Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) has been where the most sensitive classified work has taken place for decades. But with the COVID-19 pandemic reshaping how we work, the idea of SCIF life is also transforming.

Summarizing key takeaways from our recent FSO survey, ClearanceJobs State of the Facility Security Officer 2023 discusses the biggest pain points, average clearance processing times, topics most often brought up by employees and applicants, tools/software, and more.

Join us for an interview with William Lietzau, DCSA Director, discussing 2020's changes and challenges.

What does it mean for your security clearance eligibility if you have recent drug use to list on your SF-86?

5 Tips for Safer Social Networking for Security Cleared Professionals

Information on security clearance population, processing, investigations, and cleared hiring trends.

Answers to frequently asked questions about U.S. Government security clearances.

Security and Suitability Clearance Glossary

Security officers are briefing the C-suite and addressing technology issues head on. The bad news? The workforce continues to gray, and new terminology and policy means more work creating the training needed.

Examples of common job classifications found on ClearanceJobs.

Information on security clearance population, processing, investigations, and cleared hiring trends.

A look at the backlog in the clearance process, how we arrived here and what must be done to fix it.

Curious to know how our security clearance process evolved over time? Look no further.

Four common myths about mental health and security clearances, and what cleared professionals and employers need to know.

Over the last few years, we've seen large shifts in our government's personnel security program and security process itself. There's a lot to keep track of - make sure you're aware of the latest and greatest.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges to the U.S. intelligence and national security community (IC).

How to Save Time and Resources and Enhance Mission Outcomes

Recruiting and Clearing Personnel with Foreign Ties