Federal Opportunities, SF-86 Changes, and Contractors to Target in the Job Search

Security Clearance Careers Podcast

What's up with federal and national security careers in the last month? Here are the federal opportunities available, clearance process changes to consider, and two contractors to target in your job search.

Expanded Opportunities for Entry Level Jobs in the Federal Government

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) enhanced the Pathways Program for early career talent in the federal government by:

• Expanding skills-based hiring
• Increasing starting salaries for recent graduates
• Facilitating interns' conversion to permanent positions
• OPM's goal is to improve talent pipelines in federal agencies and offer opportunities across various sectors and industries.

The programs are interns, recent graduates, Presidential Management Fellows (PMFs), and Enhanced Recruitment Tools.

Changes to SF-86 Drug Questions Hide a Nasty Surprise for Some Applicants

Security clearance applicants traditionally completed Standard Form (SF) 86 for background checks, including questions on drug use. A new "Personnel Vetting Questionnaire" (PVQ) combines SF-86 with SF-85 and SF-85P, separating drug use questions into cannabis and other illegal drugs categories. Despite these changes, caution is advised for applicants due to potential implications. The National Adjudicative Guidelines for Security Clearances – the standards against which all applicants are assessed – remain currently unchanged, as does the Federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The use of federally legal cannabis derivatives (i.e., those with a THC concentration of 0.3% or less by dry weight pursuant to the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act) can result in a positive drug test that could hurt the ability to maintain access to classified info.

This most important thing regarding these changes is a federal law known as the Bond Amendment. This law prevents agencies from granting a clearance to anyone currently using marijuana. Federal agencies have interpreted “current” to mean any use of a drug within the last year. But some reports indicate that the new questionnaire will shorten the reporting period for past marijuana use to only 90 days. If true, this disparity in questions language and policy may further confuse applicants on an already murky topic.

Praxis Interns Dive Deep into Tech, Bridge Local and Global Challenges

Praxis interns have been assigned the responsibility of utilizing AI to extract essential details from videos. This extracted information enables users to search for videos without the need to watch them. The interns were given a collection of more than 700 cell phone videos (approximately 10 hours) that were recorded during the January 6 Capitol Riot. The team concentrated on analyzing various aspects of the videos, including audio, images, and metadata.

Praxis interns collected sample data by intercepting packets sent by mobile devices to a designated router. Using this data, they were able to show the value of various analysis techniques by creating two applications: CometGo and CometLo.

Impactful Missions in Law Enforcement at Booz Allen

Booz Allen employees work on missions for the greater good, including law enforcement collaborations to streamline processes and prevent threats. Team members share their experiences and address common questions about working in law enforcement at Booz Allen.

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