Navigating the cleared job market is not for the faint of heart. If you’ve done it before, you know from the time you start looking to the time you land an offer can be a world apart. How do you make it through the job search and land a job on the other side?
3 Tips for Successful Employment Search
Here are a few quick tips to help bridge the gap between searching for a role and getting an offer for your next cleared job.
1. Pay close attention to the Basic Qualifications vs Preferred Qualifications.
Often you can have all the preferred qualifications but missing one small part on the basic list. An example of this could be: Basic Requirement is Bachelor’s degree in STEM. You have your Master’s degree in a non STEM, you might automatically gloss over this as you assume it is checking the box that you hold a four-year degree. When they specify what type of degree they are looking for, they tend to mean it. If you don’t have it, don’t bother applying. Use that time to keep searching. This isn’t the job for you.
2. Check out where the requisition is located versus where the customer site they list is.
If the req is open to a position out in California but it says minimum 25% travel to customer site in Maryland, that should be another key indicator for you. What they are saying is- the last person who held this role lived in California but ideally, we would like you to be in Maryland. Be open to a possible move if this is the case. You can always reach out to the recruiter and ask for clarification.
3. My favorite, when the requisition says “poly required.”
For those of you who do not hold a Full Scope, this can be confusing as you are trying to determine if your CI will work. From my own personal job search to now seeing what other companies are putting in their reqs, if they don’t specify CI poly, it means they want a FS.
Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way
While I absolutely stand by three quick tips to navigating cleared job reqs, I also want to leave you with a little holiday hope and magic. FRIENDS, it never hurts to send an email and ask for more information. It almost NEVER hurts to ask for a quick call to pick the recruiters brain as that can lead the conversation into another position [that might have that better aligns with your clearances]. And lastly, it absolutely NEVER hurts when you get a “no” to ask for a follow up meeting to look and see what is possible to get to a “yes.” You’re cleared, you’re talented, you’re thirsty for holiday cash…carpe diem those outreach emails!
