News + Career Advice
Stay current on security-cleared job search tips, trends, and news.
What a Cleared Hire Really Costs: Time-to-Fill, Agency Fees, and the Job-Board Math
In the third quarter of FY2025, a Top Secret background investigation took an average of 163 days. Three quarters later it took 57. That figure comes from the Security, Suitability, and Credentialing Performance Accountability Council's Trusted Workforce 2.0 report for FY2026 Q2.… more
How to Sponsor an Employee for a Clearance: What Your FSO Actually Submits to DCSA
A Secret-level case closed in 109 days end to end in the fourth quarter of FY2025, against a government target of 40. Top Secret ran 220 days against 75. If you are holding an unfilled cleared seat and an uncleared candidate, that gap is not something you can paperwork your way o… more
How to Read a DoD Contract Award and Find the Cleared Jobs Before They Are Posted
On July 17, 2026, the Air Force District of Washington awarded Sigmatech Inc. a systems engineering contract worth $108,862,926. The money that actually moved that day was $43,183. Four hundredths of one percent. That gap is the most useful thing on the page, and almost nobody re… more
IAT Level II: The Exact Certifications That Qualify, and Which One to Take First
The chart that tells a cleared job seeker which certifications satisfy IAT Level II has not been publicly readable since March 9, 2023. That is the last archived rendering of the DoD Cyber Exchange page that returned the table instead of a login redirect. Snapshots from August 11… more
8140 Certification Requirements on a Cleared IT Contract: What the Employer Must Verify
Open the DFARS Part 239 that Defense contracting officers have been directed to use since 1 February 2026 and look for the information assurance certification rules. One line sits where they used to be: Subpart 239.71-239.73 [Reserved]. The words "8570," "8140," "information assu… more