Cleared recruiting, which refers to the process of hiring individuals with government security clearances, presents a unique set of challenges for employers. The demand for cleared professionals is consistently high especially when it comes to government work. However, the supply of qualified individuals is limited, making recruiting these individuals a consistent challenge.
Limited Talent Pool
One of the primary challenges in cleared recruiting is the limited talent pool. To work on classified government projects, candidates must undergo an extensive background investigation, which can be a time-consuming and intrusive process. Only a few people are able to obtain security clearances, and with clearances typically expiring after a few years, even fewer maintain them. In fact, the number of Americans holding security clearances has dropped by nearly a million since 2013. Furthermore, amidst recent scrutiny surrounding classified documents, there have been discussions on reducing the size of the cleared population. This will only exacerbate the current national security talent shortage.
Government agencies, defense contractors, and other organizations that require cleared personnel are constantly on the hunt for top-tier talent, leading to fierce competition and making it difficult for employers to find the right candidates. However, there have been recent policies that could keep security clearances current for longer, even after a break in service; this could mean a greater number of cleared candidates available for hire.
Discreet and Hard-to-Find Candidates
Cleared individuals are often discreet about their security clearances, making them hard to find. They may not actively advertise their status, and even if they do, they are typically cautious about sharing sensitive information publicly. In some cases, there may even be candidates who are unable to publicize their clearance levels. Recruiters then have to use their personal judgment to find candidates with the right clearance, either by looking at organizations, locations, or other skills that may imply security clearance.
Furthermore, there are many different types and levels of security clearances, such as Top Secret (TS), Small Compartmentalized Information (SCI), and Polygraph Levels (CI and FSP). The higher the clearance level, the harder it is to find individuals with this clearance.
This makes it challenging for employers to identify potential candidates who have the right security clearance, especially if they are not actively looking for new job opportunities.
Delays in the Clearance Process
Obtaining and maintaining a security clearance is a lengthy and time-consuming process, which further complicates cleared recruiting. The clearance process involves background checks, interviews, and extensive documentation, and typically this process can take 30 to 180 days, with others even taking several months or even years to complete.
In addition to that, the ongoing backlog of security backlog clearances is causing even more delays in the recruiting process. In Q3 of 2023, the Top Secret clearance processing times increased from 128 days in Q2 to 164; this additional one month of processing time can have a huge impact on the recruitment process. This slow clearance process can be a significant impediment to organizations in need of cleared personnel, as they often require individuals who can start working on classified projects immediately.
Costly Recruitment Process
Another factor is the high costs of the cleared recruiting process. Employers often invest significant resources in finding and onboarding cleared professionals. This can include things such as extensive advertising, paying for background checks, and offering competitive compensation packages. In fact, as the demand for these cleared professionals increases, their average compensation is also on the uptick. The total average compensation in the national security industry increased by 7% in 2022, and this number is only going to increase as competition to attract cleared talent remains fierce.
The specific clearance level that individuals hold also leads to additional costs when it comes to recruitment, with a TS clearance leading to a premium of almost 20% over non-cleared professionals. This premium only increases with ascending clearance levels.
There has also been a cyber workforce gap, with a limited number of cleared candidates having cyber skills such as data analytics, cybersecurity, and software development. These cyber skills which are more rare and in-demand within the clearance job market can also lead to higher compensation. On top of security clearance premiums, these individuals can command salaries between $200,000 and $300,000.
Additionally, if a firm chooses to hire a third-party recruitment company to help find these cleared individuals, there will be additional premiums that firms need to pay to the recruitment companies.
Tackle the Cleared Recruiting Challenge
Cleared recruiting is undeniably one of the most challenging aspects of the hiring process due to these many factors. While hiring individuals with security clearances is essential in government sectors for safeguarding classified information and national security, the recruitment of these individuals continues to be a challenge across organizations.
While cleared recruiting remains a complex and demanding field, for those organizations and individuals committed to the process, it can yield substantial rewards by providing the critical personnel needed to support classified projects and national security initiatives.
At Cleared Recruiters, our experienced team aims to help our clients hire cleared professionals, from our large, proprietary database of candidates with federal security clearances. For support with your cleared recruiting, please contact us at info@cleared-recruiters.com.