Growing your own cleared talent: when sponsoring a clearance makes sense
When cleared candidates are scarce, the idea of "growing your own" is tempting: hire promising people and sponsor their clearances. It can work, but only in the right circumstances. Start with the rule, not the wish. A personnel clearance is not something a company can simply buy for a favorite candidate. A contractor can generally request one only when a contract requires access to classified information, and the company needs the appropriate facility clearance to do so. If your work does not need classified access, sponsorship may not be possible at all. Know what you are signing up for. Even where sponsorship is possible, the investigation takes time, the outcome is not guaranteed, and the person may not be able to do cleared work in the meantime. Plan for that gap. Choose candidates who are likely to be cleared. A clean, accurate record of employment, residences and references helps. Candidates who prepare their information early tend to avoid avoidable delays. Be ...