

Ask HN: Are there any detriments to getting a security clearance? - rathalos

I am about to start a summer internship and my employer wants me to get a security clearance. Are there any reasons why I should not get one?
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wtracy
Do you enjoy filling out forms?

Depending on what level clearance you are talking about, you will be asked to
document a lot of your past professional and personal history. You will need
to provide references for your character and your past jobs, and finding
people who are cooperative may be trickier than you think.

Do you like to travel?

You may need to provide advance notice if you travel outside of the country.

Do you enjoy polygraphs?

I've manage to sidestep this one myself, but I'm told that lie detector tests
are not fun.

On the plus side, having a clearance opens a lot of well-paying stable job
opportunities.

~~~
caw
Forms are definitely killer. OP - to save yourself some effort, start
collecting the addresses of where you've lived and employer info for the past
5-7 years. This is somewhat of a pain if you lived in dorms at school and move
back home every summer and into a new dorm in the fall. You'll also need
references to verify each bit of this info ("Did rathalos work at X from dates
Y to Z"), and I think a few character references ("Is rathalos of sound moral
character?", "Do they use drugs?", etc).

On the plus side, you can duplicate references, so if you had a constant
roommate just put them down.

Polygraphs won't apply to what's presumably a basic security clearance.
There's a large cost to clearances and they won't get maximum clearance for an
intern.

Depending on how long it takes to get your clearance, you may only have an
interim clearance during your internship. This is probably for the employer to
cover themselves if you encountered any sensitive information. It's highly
unlikely you will be working with sensitive information, unless you go back to
intern with them in the future.

One benefit of security clearances is that it is transferable, and is good for
2 years after you leave the job (without having to reapply). So you could
intern, get a clearance, intern somewhere else next year, and then get a job
after graduation that requires a clearance. If you're interested in certain
aerospace or defense companies, this is a plus for them.

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zhte415
Depending on the country, and they type of clearance?

I got one years ago, but civil (government). I found it odd I was asked about
my grandparents' occupations. No harm came.

Large companies, particularly those in finance, also ask for clearance which
they also call security clearance. That's mainly ensuring a clean track
record. One big area that I've seen people mess up is 'Directorships'. Having
once registered a company, and keeping that company running, is a
directorship, even if the company is idle. It takes a lot of unwinding with HR
and audit when these things that are often only sometimes checked, or an
international check is not run. Do declare directorships; as long as there is
no conflict of interest there's noting to worry about, and if there is a
conflict of interest, get it in the open because you could be accused of
criminal liability.

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gk1
There are, but they're outweighed by the benefits of having the clearance.
Some I can recall are:

\- Requirement to disclose any travel plans outside of US.

\- Forbidden to have dual citizenship.

\- Requirement to disclose relationships (even non-professional) with foreign
nationals.

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mchannon
The biggest PITA associated with US government security clearances is their
tendency to call your family and associates to make sure you're not a
communist or terrorist.

I suppose that's necessary, but it's embarrassing. Calling your friends ahead
of time to give them a heads-up would be something I'd think about doing.

Clearances cost a lot of money, but you never have to pay the money or even
know how much it is. It's a license to get exclusive well-paying jobs.

