DocMan Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings When I've had security checks done on me and I had to ask that popular question' date=' "Are you involved in any group or organization that seeks to overthrow the Federal Government?" I usually reply with either the Boys Scouts (Dem Prez) or the Hari Krishna (GOP Prez). It throws them off and make the day more interesting for me... [/quote'] Why bother saying the Boy Scouts or the Hari Krishna's? Just tell them you're a member of whatever political party ISN'T in power. So right now, you'd be a Democrat. During the Clinton years, you'd have been a Replublican. After all, each party, when they're out of power, IS trying to overthrow the party that is in power. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Otaku Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings Why bother saying the Boy Scouts or the Hari Krishna's? Just tell them you're a member of whatever political party ISN'T in power. So right now, you'd be a Democrat. During the Clinton years, you'd have been a Replublican. After all, each party, when they're out of power, IS trying to overthrow the party that is in power. Doc Not as entertaining, and I like to play with the minds of those who are supposed to be figuring out mine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings To be perfectly honest I'd try very hard to leave out any party affiliation/preference if possible. In the DC area, workplace politics and politics politics can be closely related. My favorite question on the form was always "Do you advocate the overthrow of the U.S. government by subversion or force?" To which the answer is, "Force." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klytus Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings We have someone in our gaming group who has worked a total of 3 months in the last 2 years. If she doesn't have a job by the end of the month' date=' she has to move back in with her parents. Of course most of us quietly ponder why she won't consider a low paying job which is better than nothing.[/quote'] If you're working 9-5, you won't be free to place phone calls or do interviews during normal business hours, which will only make it that much harder for you to find those rare jobs you are looking for. Never mind the fact that low-paying places tend not to hire over-qualified applicants specifically because they are trying to avoid having high turnouver by being a temporary pit-stop for folk until they find their "real" job. There is also the fact that (at least in MD) unemployment benefits are paid based on your salary history. If you have a low paying job in the middle of things, that will utterly hose up your benefits the next time you need them. Finally, low-paying jobs tend to be the kind that suck what little energy and life you have right out of your soul. In other words, a low-paying job can be worse than nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klytus Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings Don't let the lack of a TS Clearance stop you from applying for jobs you're qualified for. If the company likes you' date=' they will hire you and find something else for you to do while your clearance comes in. There aren't enough cleared people for all the positions out there. Don't let it stop you from applying! [/quote'] Thing is, many of these job posting state, in big bold letters, do not even bother applying for this possition unless you have ACTIVE security clearance. I've tried. It doesn;t work. And if you try it at a job faire where they have a similar disclaimer posted, they give you dirty looks if talk to them when you don't have clearance - even if you meet all of their other requrements... the kind of look that says, "Thanks for wasting my time, you miserable little toad!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhys Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings That was from the old Tony Orlando song, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree". First used in the Iranian hostage crisis. JG A song originally about a guy getting out of prison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings Thing is' date=' many of these job posting state, in big bold letters, [b']do not even bother applying for this possition unless you have ACTIVE security clearance[/b]. I've tried. It doesn;t work. And if you try it at a job faire where they have a similar disclaimer posted, they give you dirty looks if talk to them when you don't have clearance - even if you meet all of their other requrements... the kind of look that says, "Thanks for wasting my time, you miserable little toad!" That's because they need somebody who's cleared, and they need them yesterday, and the gubmint used to take like 9 months to process your clearance before nineeleven, so I can only guess how long it must take now. I think that, legally, they're not supposed to be able to turn down your application purely because you don't have an active clearance. IANAL. Of course, there is no way for the rejected applicant to prove this in court. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klytus Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings That's because they need somebody who's cleared' date=' and they need them yesterday, and the gubmint used to take like 9 months to process your clearance [i']before[/i] nineeleven, so I can only guess how long it must take now. I think that, legally, they're not supposed to be able to turn down your application purely because you don't have an active clearance. IANAL. Of course, there is no way for the rejected applicant to prove this in court. Yeah, I know all of this. I was just explaining to DocMan why I don't apply for jobs when active security clearance is listed as a requirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Worldmaker Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings That's because they need somebody who's cleared' date=' and they need them yesterday, and the gubmint used to take like 9 months to process your clearance [i']before[/i] nineeleven, so I can only guess how long it must take now. I think that, legally, they're not supposed to be able to turn down your application purely because you don't have an active clearance. IANAL. Of course, there is no way for the rejected applicant to prove this in court. Took them a year to get through mine. But then, I was going for a clearance slight higher than Top Secret. Still have it, though I don't use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Worldmaker Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings Bless you, Klytus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klytus Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings Bless you' date=' Klytus.[/quote'] No problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Skaramine Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings No matter how angry I've ever become at someone on these boards, I've never truly wished anyone harm for something they've said. But now... right now I wish I had him in front of me so I could kick is arrogant ass down the road. As long as it's not me... can I help you smooth it out? And barring that, I've got a couple of those anchoring hooks we can drive into the offender's eye sockets. I'll take left, you take right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocMan Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings Nothing helps heal old wounds like a new enemy who is equally reprehensible to all. Now if the healing would just last... Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Worldmaker Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings As long as it's not me... can I help you smooth it out? And barring that' date=' I've got a couple of those anchoring hooks we can drive into the offender's eye sockets. I'll take left, you take right. [/quote'] Someone who shall remain nameless decided that the height of cleverness would be to tell me that if I really, truly loved my terminally ill wife, I wouldn't be wasting time arguing with him here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Skaramine Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings Someone who shall remain nameless decided that the height of cleverness would be to tell me that if I really' date=' truly loved my terminally ill wife, I wouldn't be wasting time arguing with him here.[/quote'] Cheap shot. I know I've hated myself for taking it or wanting to take it too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Worldmaker Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings Cheap shot. I know I've hated myself for taking it or wanting to take it too... Doug, the little I know about you tells me that it would be physically impossible for you to use such a low blow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocMan Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings None of us are who we used to be. Best we can do is try to become someone better than we are now. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Skaramine Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings Doug' date=' the little I know about you tells me that it would be physically impossible for you to use such a low blow.[/quote'] I've taken that shot... but taken it back... and hated myself and took another seven leagues of strides to hell for doing it. You've seen my anger, a twisted, evil thing. I can only hope to undo such evil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocMan Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings Thing is' date=' many of these job posting state, in big bold letters, [b']do not even bother applying for this possition unless you have ACTIVE security clearance[/b]. I've tried. It doesn;t work. And if you try it at a job faire where they have a similar disclaimer posted, they give you dirty looks if talk to them when you don't have clearance - even if you meet all of their other requrements... the kind of look that says, "Thanks for wasting my time, you miserable little toad!" This statement has bothered me for tha past half hour. And I finally figured out why. A few years ago when my agency had a big push to reduce manpower, there was a lot of guidance for employees seeking jobs elsewhere. One thing they did say is that if you have a security clearance, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TELL PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYERS THE LEVEL TO WHICH YOU ARE CLEARED. Instead, you tell them what level you are CLEARABLE to. Even a person who doesn't have a current clearance is clearable to a certain level. And I'm not sure that a current clearance will actually carry over from one employer to another. Which would explain why many cleared contractors are self-employed and subcontract from other companies. So if you say you don't have clearance, they're hearing that you're UNCLEARABLE. Hence the look. Tell them you don't have current clearance but you are clearable to the specified level. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings In other words' date=' a low-paying job [i']can[/i] be worse than nothing. I would have to agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samaritan Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings That's because they need somebody who's cleared' date=' and they need them yesterday, and the gubmint used to take like 9 months to process your clearance [i']before[/i] nineeleven, so I can only guess how long it must take now. I think that, legally, they're not supposed to be able to turn down your application purely because you don't have an active clearance. IANAL. Of course, there is no way for the rejected applicant to prove this in court. What really irks me is that I'm SUPPOSED to have at least a Secret clearance (certain personal knowledge neccesitates it). My unit has dragged it's feet for the past 6 years, everywhere from ignoring my requests to telling me outright that I don't need it. Found the order that states that I do. Now that I'm on the way out, of course, they're not too inclined to waste time with it. I guess I can wave buh-bye to some federal jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samaritan Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings So if you say you don't have clearance, they're hearing that you're UNCLEARABLE. Hence the look. Tell them you don't have current clearance but you are clearable to the specified level. Doc Here's one... what would keep one from a clearance? I mean, would a misdemeanor do it? I know I can get a secret; one of my sergeants (who works for the State Dept in his civvie job) tells me there are guys who have grand theft auto on their records with TS clearance. Anybody know if that's possible? I'd just like to know what I can tell employers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Squirrel Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings Someone who shall remain nameless decided that the height of cleverness would be to tell me that if I really' date=' truly loved my terminally ill wife, I wouldn't be wasting time arguing with him here.[/quote'] Sounds to me like this nameless individual has no friends or loved ones and gets off on the notion of putting salt in other people's wounds. Sounds like such a wonderful guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klytus Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings This statement has bothered me for tha past half hour. And I finally figured out why. A few years ago when my agency had a big push to reduce manpower, there was a lot of guidance for employees seeking jobs elsewhere. One thing they did say is that if you have a security clearance, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TELL PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYERS THE LEVEL TO WHICH YOU ARE CLEARED. Instead, you tell them what level you are CLEARABLE to. Even a person who doesn't have a current clearance is clearable to a certain level. And I'm not sure that a current clearance will actually carry over from one employer to another. Which would explain why many cleared contractors are self-employed and subcontract from other companies. So if you say you don't have clearance, they're hearing that you're UNCLEARABLE. Hence the look. Tell them you don't have current clearance but you are clearable to the specified level. Doc I *do* tell them I'm clearable. I even tell them I once had clearance with the INS. It isn't as hot as DoD clearance, but I am clearable. They don't want to hear it. They want you to have an active TS clearance and be able to start tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Re: Musings on Random Musings Here's one... what would keep one from a clearance? I mean' date=' would a misdemeanor do it? I know I can get a secret; one of my sergeants (who works for the State Dept in his civvie job) tells me there are guys who have grand theft auto on their records with TS clearance. Anybody know if that's possible? I'd just like to know what I can tell employers...[/quote'] Past felony convictions and drug use are actually not grounds for automatic denial. My understanding is that you can be denied for three general reasons: 1. Relationships with foreign nationals. If your spouse or parent is a foreign national it could be a problem. It's not automatic, it depends on which country they're from and what they do there. If your uncle is a Poliburo member in the People's Republic of China, you have a problem. 2. Financial situation. IOW, can you be bought? Here they're looking for big debts or other obligations. Gambling debts in particular are frowned upon, because that kind of debt tends to come with a lot of... pressure to repay. 3. Blackmailability. The classic question here is, if you are gay, would you be willing to tell your parents? They don't care if you're gay, they care if you're ashamed enough about it to not want to be outed. Oh, and don't answer 'yes' on the Communist Party question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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