The weeks keep blurring into the next, so Katie Keller and I sat down on ClearedCast to review all the happenings on news.clearancejobs.com this past week.
Week in Review – ClearedCast Style
Intelligence News
Last week over ClearedCast, Katie discussed with Dr. Vince Houghton from at the International Spy Museum‘s SpyCast. Dr. Houghton shared how his interest in the intelligence world all began with reading about the atomic bomb when he was just 10 years old. But a key takeaway from Dr. Houghton is that in order to make it in the intelligence field, you have to learn to be okay with saying, ‘I don’t know’ to a problem. We need people in intelligence who are will to think about big ideas and push back on the status quo.
Jack Butler updated us on the defense budget’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force (UAPTA) line item. While the DoD has been silent about the sighting of a tic tac shaped flying vehicle 15 years ago, its resurfacing in the current budget has sparked some curiosity. Astrophysicist Eric W. Davis, previously a consultant for the UAPTA, suggested something entirely different in his testimony to Congress: “off-world vehicles not made on this earth.” The advanced capabilities of the vehicles in question appear to have even top U.S. officials searching for answers. Whether or not these aircraft are from another nation or another planet, their existence is cause for legitimate concern. Welcome to the back half of 2020.
What to Watch for in the Clearance World
Katie reminds recruiters to avoid the ICWatch dumpster fire. The site has been known around the Intelligence Community (IC) for years. It’s a public database on the open source that scrapes LinkedIn other sources. Recently, they had over 400,000 profiles on there of individuals were working in the IC. It’s a good reminder for those in national security to be careful about where you put your contact and clearance information. Additionally, it’s a reminder that searching on ICWatch can expose your organization to be targeted.
William Henderson provided some helpful clarification on letters of recommendation. If your clearance process needs a letter of recommendation in order to avoid a revocation or denial, then it’s important to know what to include. If you’ve gotten to the point where you need letters of recommendation, don’t skimp out on this process. If you ask someone to write a letter for you, it’s important to give them a grid to follow.
Combatting Groupthink and Toxic Leaders
Steve Leonard shared his experience with combatting groupthink. Steve’s perspective dovetailed well with Dr. Houghton’s thoughts on working in the IC. Leaders that are willing to seek input from the team and hear actual opinions are a valuable asset to the IC and defense industry. There’s a difference between just being contentious and arrogant versus being willing to pushback against the group mentality.
Colonel Candid also reflected on dealing with toxic leaders. In addition to identifying a toxic leader, you have to know how to respond. Sometimes, a leader just needs to have the mirror held up to them so that they can understand the impact of their actions. While there are times to just endure, and there are times to go job hunting, there are also times to speak up to confront problems. Not all actions are malicious; sometimes it’s just ignorance.
News to Look for This week
In the coming week, we’ll keep looking in on how different areas are impacted by schooling decisions and how employers are responding. So far, we’ve looked at the DMV area, Alabama, and Colorado. My favorite school response was from an Alabama principal creating a video with M.C. Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This.” It’s good to have some fun when you have to tell people to “Stop. Sanitize.” Back to school in the fall is a stressful time for parents, and COVID-19 has ushered in new fears for parents, as well as, scheduling conflicts.
