If you’re a contract worker under a security clearance investigation, leaving that position while your clearance is pending could grant you a ‘loss of jurisdiction‘ – which might put you in personnel security limbo. But when does that limbo period start, and does it matter if your clearance is fully adjudicated – even if you haven’t formally started the job?
This ClearanceJobsBlog subscriber with two years of defense contracting under their belt was curious:
I’m currently a contractor for an alphabet agency, waiting to take a CI polygraph, and I have a question. Once I complete the poly and it’s approved, can I then go back on the market and look for a new position? Are there limitations on this? An SCI definitely adds a more value to my earning potential and I’d like to take full advantage of that.
CAN I LEGALLY GO BACK ON THE MARKET AFTER OBTAINING CLEARANCE?
Legally, if there was no agreement signed (i.e., I will stay for xx months with xx company after obtaining required security clearance), then you are in the clear. I’m actually surprised we don’t see more of these agreements in place with the time a billet remains vacant while companies wait for candidates to obtain a clearance.
It always pays to keep your resume up to date and evaluate your options as a cleared (or clearable) candidate.
That being said, this contractor invested in you – so you’ll want to think long and hard if it’s worth burning a bridge after they put you through the process. This scenario is why companies are reluctant to sponsor in the first place, so it’s a balancing act on if you want to put a bad taste in whatever recruiter or security officer’s mouths you’re working with when they run into candidates down the road that want to be sponsored. And they remember you.
While it hasn’t been common that candidates must repay the cost of a clearance (for contractors, that’s an investment of time and overhead – not the actual investigation) after obtaining one then quitting, you will likely have to repay relocation packages, sign-on bonuses, etc. if you leave before the payback date. The cost of a security clearance investigation is paid by the government, not the contractor sponsoring you. The defense contractor only pays back indirectly in the time their cleared billet remains unfilled. And with the headache you probably caused.
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Much about the clearance process resembles the Pirate’s Code: “more what you’d call guidelines than actual rules.” This case-by-case system is meant to consider the whole person, increase process security, and allow the lowest-risk/highest-need candidates to complete the process. However, it also creates a lot of questions for applicants. For this reason, ClearanceJobs maintains ClearanceJobsBlog.com – a forum where clearance seekers can ask the cleared community for advice on their specific security concerns. Ask CJ explores questions posed on the ClearanceJobs Blog forum, emails received, and comments from this site.
