Comment by noonespecial
16 years ago
I'm more interested in these so called "provocative things" one can write that expedite the process.
16 years ago
I'm more interested in these so called "provocative things" one can write that expedite the process.
An example of a "provocative thing" expediting the security process is given in another of Les's stories (copied from Sukotto's comment).
http://yarchive.net/risks/mongrel.html
"The lesson was clear: if you want a clearance in a hurry, put something on your history form that will make the investigators suspicious but that is not damning. They get so many dull backgrounds to check that they relish the possibility of actually nailing someone. By being a bit provocative, you draw priority attention and quicker service."
There was another one of these stories saying that it looks suspicious if you've never been convicted of a crime or done anything illegal, so if that's the case just say you tried weed once.
No, no. No no no.
Extremely bad idea. Cue cautionary tale; a friend of mine (here in the UK) wrote something similar on his form (that he'd been ticked off for smoking weed). They didn't refuse him but he has consistently had random drugs tests for the last 3 years (at a rate of about one every 2 months).
The fact of it is if you tick "yes" to any of those questions you're setting yourself up for a fall. The review officer is extremely happy if you ticked no - because he can just run the default checks and not have to interview you :)
Better to admit to it than get caught lying. Also any financial/credit problems in history will probably ruin your chances (more susceptible to blackmail I was told).
I was an ordinary programmer in the Air Force, however I obtained a top secret clearance. Basically ticked "no" to all the boxes, however one of my friends and probably a few of my past teachers were interviewed. Someone once told me his interviewer knew he had thrown a dead squirrel at a girl in kindergarten.
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umm don't know if I'd call that "extremely bad." I was applying for TS in the US and I had a very different experience to admitting experimenting. They understood and it didn't influence me while cleared. YMMV.
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I suspect the punchline of the story is a neat little provocative thing. Expediting the process can mean a quick rejection.