Security clearance determinations hinge on trustworthiness, honesty, and reliability. Coming clean to a background investigator about false information on your security clearance questionnaire can be the difference to a favorable adjudication or receiving a Statement of Reasons. It is a serious matter that must be handled carefully if you have interest in breaking into a cleared career. A voluntary correction can be a strong mitigating factor under the Adjudicative Guidelines, especially Guideline E (Personal Conduct).
One ClearanceJobsBlog subscriber, jtuber, writes:
To start, I have scoured through hundreds of reddit and blog posts searching for an experience similar to mine and have found few. I completely understand the gravity of dishonesty through this process and am now just hoping to see light at the end of the tunnel. Sorry in advance for the lengthy read, first paragraph is just background and can be skipped.
I received an internship for a DOD contractor earlier this year, accepted the offer and drug tested a few days later, and was then prompted to fill out SF-86. For context, I am a sophomore in college, and this was my first exposure to the clearance system. I hastily filled out the form, another regrettable decision, and submitted it to the FSO who quickly approved it and sent it along to the agency. Now the issue, like many others, is that I selected No to using any illegal drugs in the past 7 years, by this posting this clearly isn’t true. It wasn’t until after my submission and receiving interim top secret that I began doing more research into the entire clearance process; with the interim clearance I was required to undergo training that highlighted security protocol, self-reporting, and standards. This is what pushed me into a manhunt on how to rectify my situation and where I learned about the adjudicative guidelines and possible mitigation. About a day later, an investigator contacted me to conduct my initial subject interview, divine timing huh, and I scheduled it for the following morning with full intentions of confessing and clarifying my answer.
As soon as the interview began, after shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, I immediately told the investigator that I had an answer from my form that I wanted to clarify. I even think my promptness surprised him as he still needed a couple minutes to set himself up. I really just wanted to get it off my chest before backing out, and we discussed the marijuana use briefly. He told me that this interview was a chance to clarify and explain anything and everything from my SF86 and that I would have the chance to speak more about it when the question came up. We continued the interview rather quickly and with minimal follow-up questions, with the exception of a job that I forgot to list and immediately corrected. When we got to the issue of drug use, I explained that I used marijuana about once or twice a week, for about 6 months with old friends and a family friend/neighbor. He asked all the where/what/how/why/blackmail questions, asked for contact information for the parties involved (I only had contact with the family friend and one other friend who I had not spoken to in years), and gave contact for others in my life who knew about it. This was the summer of 2021, just before students were returning from COVID, so the list of people who I knew was limited to my parents and a couple close childhood friends. We continued the interview, and it concluded normally. I have since tried to contact those “drug associates” but was unable to get in contact with anyone other than family friend until one of the old friends reached back to me on social media to tell me they changed their number. I did my best to emphasize that since my last use, I had less contact with the family friend and had not spoken to any of those old friends.(Hoping that the investigator having the wrong number doesn’t hinder anything)
Prior to interviewing, I already had several college friends and employers called and interviewed. Since then, I have heard from a few more references that they have been interviewed, neighbors and friends from my hometown. There are still a couple of references, even listed as knowing the drug activity, who are yet to be contacted. I am honestly not coming here looking for advice, as I know I have done all that can be done and now it is just the waiting game. I am also not looking for a lecture on the importance of honesty on these applications, the thousands of posts have defined that clearly for me. I am 20 years old and made some stupid mistakes at 16, and as I am growing, I understand that there are more to come including this one, it is a lesson learned regardless. I would like to hear from others who have been in a similar situation, honestly just for some peace of mind, the anxiety about waiting is quite crippling.
I am hopeful for a favorable adjudication but truly cannot handle a denial. Many posts recommend a lawyer for appeals and I nor my family is able to hire a lawyer. I am trying to prepare for any outcome at this point. I am now aware that the drugs would have been a non-issue and just want to know if my openness at the interview will count as a good faith effort before confrontation. What more would I need to provide to mitigate the drug and personal conduct issues? Truly, had I not said anything, I don’t believe anything would have come up. Outside this incident, I have a clean record, good financial history, foreign background but no foreign contacts, and would say I am an otherwise average/model US citizen. Please, any similar experience or insights would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Steps to Take When Coming Clean
The original poster did the best thing for their case in notifying the background investigator promptly. If you are in a similar situation, do not wait until the issue is discovered. Immediate disclosure shows accountability.
Ensure that your statement is clear and honest – include what the false information was, why you included it (fear, misunderstanding, pressure, etc.), when you realized it was wrong, and why you’re correcting it now. Above all else, avoid downplaying or shifting blame, which could signal that you’ll repeat the behavior.
If relevant, gather documentation to support your explanation with any evidence that shows mitigating factors – things like a clean record since the error, character references, or proof of rehabilitation in serious cases.
Remember, background investigators do not make clearance decisions. They document your disclosure and send it to the adjudicating authority who will further assess your statement and background.
You’ve done all you can up to this point by correcting your mistakes and being candid. Taking full responsibility without excuses shows integrity—an essential trait for earning and keeping a security clearance.
This question was posed from a subscriber at ClearanceJobsBlog.com, where you can read and discuss government security clearance process, how to get a security clearance job, and background investigations issues.
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. This article is intended as general information only and should not be construed as legal advice. Consult an attorney regarding your specific situation.Â
