getting security cleared, what does it involve?
- Thread starter MrWhippy
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Soldato
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Gilly said:I'm going the tech management route
Been on this contract years and getting bored of tech stuff.
It would also be a good idea if you invested in some complementary training for yourself, like Prince 2, Programme Management or ITIL that would help you secure contracting work outside the public sector.
They look expensive but pay for themselves in days.
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nero120 said:
Nope.
Security clearance is very expensive to administer and so, as I mentioned before you have to have a job that requires it to get it.
[DOD]Asprilla said:
Not sure how that helps, though i have never tried contracting. I have Prince2 practitioner, MSP, ITIL (Red Badge) but as i only ever use a small amount of the knowledge gained during the courses, i would not be able to say that i was experienced in any of them. Hopefully that will change in the near future though as we are about to embark on an ITIL Programme, which i have been asked to lead on. ( ican feel lots of consultancy being used in the first few weeks!)
Cheeky ****kefkef said:
Only kidding.
Already booked to attend ITIL courses (company internal and external) for green badge at first, maybe red badge down the line.[DOD]Asprilla said:
Prince2 is something else I've looked at, but that'll be next year now.
All funded by the company
Soldato
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Gilly said:All funded by the company
Excellent.
When contracting, skills on the CV count as much as experience, particularly as the person writing the job spec and initially viewing your CV has little idea what the job actually involves.
Thats how so many bull****ers get through the initial review stage to interview level. I'm running interviews this week, some of the CVs passed to us aren't all that :/ They mention key words but not under experience or under qualifications. Basically saying they've heard of it.
Associate
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Is there any way to check if you are security cleared (may sound a daft question!) as in my last job I filled out the forms etc to become BC as the company had just took on contract work for the NHS but I never got given anything to say that I had actually been cleared) 
I suppose you could write to the Home Office.
It wouldn't matter anyway because unless it was the NHS again you'd have to contact the Home Office to switch your clearance to another government department if you were so inclined. One clearance doesn't automatically grant you clearance across the board
It wouldn't matter anyway because unless it was the NHS again you'd have to contact the Home Office to switch your clearance to another government department if you were so inclined. One clearance doesn't automatically grant you clearance across the board
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Ah ok, cheers never really looked into it before, just always wondered if I was cleared or not.
Richard_16v said:Is there any way to check if you are security cleared (may sound a daft question!) as in my last job I filled out the forms etc to become BC as the company had just took on contract work for the NHS but I never got given anything to say that I had actually been cleared)
Not sure if you would have needed BC for NHS work, none of the staff in my organisation require it (i work for the NHS) to provide IT services to about 20000 users.
I needed BC/CTC to work in HM Prisons, and SC to work on MOD contracts for certain companies.
Gilly said:
Would it be fair to say that only really being able to recruit people that are already security cleared is a contributary factor to having so many keyword CV's, or would you say that it helps because at least you know that people with clearance have at least some sector-related experience?
Gilly said:
You didn't.
I was just asking from an employers/management perspective, if it was frustrating that you can only (if you could only) recruit those that are already security cleared, because it meant a reduced quantity of quality applicants, or if it was seen to be a good thing because you at least knew that because they'd been previously cleared, it meant that they'd worked in a similar environment previously.
I wasn't aware that people would put you through SC clearance for contracts of this sort of length?
After being unable to find any low-end IT roles, I recently applied to Carphone Warehouse to get me some customer service experience to bung on my CV. I'm due to start next week but this week, agencies have started crawling out of the woodwork calling me for various roles, one of which requires a security clearance for a two month role. Tempted to go for it to get the clearance and the two months experience but don't want to leave myself back at square one looking for another IT role after having turned down CPW.