If you’ve filled out a security clearance application recently you’ll recall that the form asks for physical address, phone, and email for verifiers and references. That includes those who verify places that you’ve lived, along with people who know you well. It’s common for applicants to wonder how those references will be contacted – there are two common threads of anxiety – what if the reference doesn’t respond to the government’s query, or is it a bad sign if those individuals haven’t been contacted at all?
While it would be nice if the government offered a clear roadmap to who and how references will be contacted, it really is a part of the secret sauce of a security clearance investigation – you won’t get a direct response from a background investigator when it comes to who will be contacted. The method will support the overall investigation’s goal – which is to gather the necessary information about the applicant so it can be applied against the adjudicative guidelines.
Not every reference may be contacted. And a key part of the investigation process especially for higher-level clearances or specific agencies is to ensure they’re contacting individuals who aren’t the ones listed on the form. It’s not necessarily a bad sign if your references haven’t heard from the government. But if you’re worried your references may ignore any attempt by the government to contact them – and you’re not applying into a Super Secret Squirrel agency – it may be worth giving them a heads-up and asking them to respond to the government’s query.
Ensuring your references are properly listed and data is accurate is one of the best ways to help speed up security clearance processing times.
