News + Career Advice
Stay current on security-cleared job search tips, trends, and news.
NISPOM in 2026: What 32 CFR Part 117 Requires of a Cleared Employer
February 24, 2021 is the day the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual stopped being a manual. On that date it became a federal regulation at 32 CFR Part 117, with the force of law behind every paragraph, and contractors had six months to implement it. If you run … more
CMMC Level 2 and the Staff You Now Have to Hire: Assessors, ISSOs and Compliance Leads
On November 10, 2025, the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement rule for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification took effect. That date started Phase 1 of the rollout, and it is the moment CMMC stopped being a policy slide and became a clause in live Department… more
How to Read a DD-254: The Form That Defines Every Cleared Job You Post
Item 1a of a DD Form 254 holds exactly one of three words: Confidential, Secret, or Top Secret. That single box sets the clearance level of every requisition you write against the contract. Name a higher level than the work needs and you commit your company to an investigation th… more
OFCCP Compliance for Federal Contractors: The Hiring Rules That Bind Every Cleared Req
Executive Order 11246 governed how federal contractors hired from 1965 onward. On January 21, 2025, Executive Order 14173 revoked it. The affirmative-action program most recruiters and FSOs mean when they say "OFCCP compliance," the one built on race and sex, is now gone. A 90-da… more
Public Trust Positions: The Tiers, the Investigation, and Why It Is Not a Security Clearance
Key takeaways A Tier 4 high-risk public trust investigation is priced at $4,460 for FY 2027, against $455 for the Tier 3 investigation behind a Secret clearance (DCSA, effective October 1, 2026). Suitability is adjudicated against 8 factors in 5 CFR 731.202(b) today, rising to … more