Cleared job seekers are always weighing their options – especially in the defense hiring sector over the last decade when they have the upper hand with a shrinking cleared talent pool and more openings than available candidates.
Let’s say you turned down a job offer because your current employer countered with an offer too good to resist – will the NSA be a jealous ex or take you back with open arms? And if they do take you back, will the flames of the security clearance investigation still be hot, or will you need to start the process from scratch?
I successfully completed my background investigation, poly, and psych eval ~1.5 years ago and received a firm job offer (FJO). I elected to remain at my current employer because by the time it had been completed, I was no longer prepared to make the move because of personal circumstance. I am now completely prepared, have had a lot more experience, and made it to the interview stage on the same job incredibly quickly. (It seems I’ve piqued someone’s interest and I am being fast-tracked). If I receive a contingent job offer (CJO), am I in a range where my previous background investigation is still considered, or will a brand new one be needed? Would they need to contact my current employer? I took my employer’s counteroffer for a big salary increase + benefits and would like to avoid an embarrassing reach-out to my boss indicating that I re-applied. If it comes down to it, does my boss need to be the one contacted again?
One frequent background investigator on the blog writes:
“In cases like this I think they will re-use as much of the previous investigation as they possibly can, and if nothing has changed, they may not do any more contacts. You might be asked to fill out a new form but once they see nothing has changed they may decide to skip it.
I don’t know about the poly, since it has been over a year… think I read on here (or the late lamented Federal Soup) that somebody in a similar situation had to redo the poly after a year. As for the psych eval they may want to make sure you are still weird enough to work there.”
POLYGRAPHS
Polygraphs are generally valid for a two-year period. In some cases, if you return to a position requiring a polygraph, the government may or may not require a new read if you are returning within the same period of the investigation.
This is really agency dependent, and your security contact would have the best answer. When in doubt, it’s better to ask the security officer where your investigation stands and who may be contacted. Ideally, they would be tell you which parts of your packet can be picked up, and what will require additional work (and reference checks).
