News + Career Advice
Stay current on security-cleared job search tips, trends, and news.
Social Media on the SF-86: What You Must Disclose and What Investigators May Review
Key takeaways "Social media" appears exactly 4 times in the 136-page SF-86 PDF (revised November 2016), all four on the release page, none in any of the 29 numbered sections. Section 27, Use of Information Technology Systems, does ask three seven-year questions about your onlin… more
Security Clearance Psychological Evaluations: When You Get Sent to One, and What It Decides
Key takeaways Since 8 June 2017 the governing guideline has said a formal diagnosis is not required for a Guideline I concern, and no negative inference may be raised solely from mental health counseling. Guideline I carries 5 disqualifying and 5 mitigating conditions. Two miti… more
How to Put 1099, Gig, and Self-Employment Work on the SF-86
The string "1099" appears zero times in the 136 pages of the SF-86. So does "W-2." So do "freelance," "gig," "independent contractor" and the whole word "IRS." The questionnaire that decides your clearance eligibility has no opinion about which tax document a client mailed you in… more
SF-86 Section 13A: Reporting Employment Gaps and Unemployment Without Triggering a Flag
Key takeaways Section 13A covers 10 years and instructs that the entire period be accounted for without breaks. The version OPM serves as of July 2026 is the form revised November 2016. The 90-day exemption most applicants half-remember belongs to Section 11, residence. Section… more
What Investigators Actually Ask Your SF-86 References – and How to Prep Them
Section 16 of the SF-86 asks for three people who know you well. What the written-inquiry stage sends them is a two-page form, mailed from a post office box in Boyers, Pennsylvania, with nine numbered items on the back and a return envelope inside. The government estimates it tak… more