Talent acquisition professionals and hiring officials across government are beginning to take the long view on employment. The question isn’t just – how can we attract the best talent to government? The question is – how can we attract the best students to even consider government, and the cumbersome security clearance process involved?
Today’s backlog isn’t helping matters. A few years ago you could expect an interim security clearance determination in days and a final determination in months. Now you may wait months for even an interim clearance. Wonder what students are curious about when it comes to the security clearance application process? Look no further than the Department of State’s Student Programs Forum.
The forum is designed for students interested in careers with the Department of State. The vast majority of posts come from students who have already been accepted into a Department of State program but are now waiting on a security clearance determination. They understand they must have a security clearance in order to do the job. And don’t know what to do in the months-long waiting process.
What Everyone Wants: A Little Feedback
There has been a ridiculous amount of research done on millennials in the workforce. A lot of it is bunk. One thing I do agree with – younger employees (regardless of generation) will generally seek out more feedback throughout a process than older workers. A 2016 Gallup poll noted that managers should try to connect with their employees every day. (Aside – Eric, if you ever start sending me messages every day I’m going to develop a nervous disorder. Which is a reminder that all ‘research’ and ‘polling’ should be vetted through actually considering the needs of your employees).
How much feedback do you generally receive during the security clearance application process? Often zero. Absolutely no updates, even if your process creeps into months or years. If you do get feedback, it comes third party through a Facility Security Officer. That’s unacceptable in an era when you can track your Uber driver’s progress in real time.
Students on the Department of State forum often have to get creative to figure our where their application may be in the process, from checking in with references, to scouting out an investigator leaving their school. If you’re doing your own field work to track your clearance process, it’s clear the government is doing it wrong.
The need to invest in security clearance IT is something new National Background Investigations Bureau Director Charles Phalen continually cites. And it can’t come soon enough. An applicant should, at the very least, be able to access a website that can advise him or her where their application is in the process.
