My subject interview is coming up later this week. I know I need to bring a few things, including a copy of my SF-86. Is it permissible to bring an electronic copy (PDF on my iphone) or is that not ok/frowned upon? I’m happy to print it - I just want to make this as easy as possible for the person interviewing me.
I’ve never done this. The investigator usually has a copy. Nothing stopping you from bringing a copy I suppose.
It wouldn’t be a problem. A lot of people have brought theirs with them and they simply follow along and if they spot an error they can speak up to instantly. I’d suggest printing it out though, just so it would be easier for you to go through it and follow along
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I agree with the idea of printing it out. In addition to your being able to see mistakes and bring them up before the investigator does, you can take notes of anything additional that you are asked about.
It’s also a great idea to go over the printed forms before (maybe more than once) and make notes of anything that you think might need more explanation or that you might be asked about. This way you can be prepared for the questions.
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Thank you! That’s a good point, re: notes. It’s generally easier for me to search through a PDF on my phone but I didn’t want to seem like I was being rude to the person interviewing me by doing that.
I’ll definitely be printing a copy. Thanks for all the input everyone!
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You shouldn’t have to do much searching . . . In my experience, they go over the form line by line, top to bottom . . .
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You don’t need to bring a copy.
You know, I realized that after I replied. I’m not used to going through PDFs in a linear fashion - you’re right, since it’s line by line, a paper copy (especially with notes) will be way more helpful. Thanks!
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I found it exceedingly helpful to bring a printed copy to the interview. There’s nothing like following along, nodding in confirmation as the investigator asks questions. I found it immensely reassuring because it allows you to see exactly how you answered so you don’t trip up on something. And, as someone else mentioned, you can make notes on anything you think might need clarification on beforehand which lends an air of confidence.
Good luck!
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Maybe it’s just me but for some reason I find it very annoying when a subject brings their case papers to the interview and follows along, anticipating my next question.
Also, we don’t go over the case papers line by line anymore on reinvestigations or TESI’s — only on initial T4 or T5. And if you aren’t sure if you left your job in Burger King in 01/1998 like you listed or possibly 01/1999, I don’t care because you weren’t supposed to list it anyway. And on a TESI, I don’t care if your parents moved to FL after you completed the paperwork— we no longer update the case papers on TESI’s.
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The real question is how did I get sucked into posting something about whether a subject should bring case papers to an interview!
One of the worst interviews I had conducted was a subject brought his laptop with him withbhis eqip on ot to follow along and continually said, “oh, that’s not right” on empl and resi entries. Just a nightmare. 9 hours later, 80 pages of handwritten notes and dreadful thoughts of review rejection
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That definitely sounds like a nightmare, yikes! Definitely will not be doing that. I’m not worried about how the interview will go or trying to control it - it would be helpful for me to at least follow along. But not with the intent of picking things apart or unnecessarily prolonging the interview. I can see how bringing a copy of the form could open the interview process up to that, but that’s definitely not my intent.
Thank you! This is constructive and helpful. That’s exactly what I planned on bringing the form with me for, us to follow along and clarify as needed. Neither of us want this to take any longer than it has to and I want to make it as effective/productive as possible for the investigator.
Print it and bring it to the interview. That will allow you to annotate it for any mistake or omission that you may find during the interview.
Afterwards, store the SF86 somewhere, and anytime you travel overseas, have new foreign contacts or anything changes, you can annotate that copy again.
That way, it will be a whole lot easier next time you have to fill that in again.
For my initial interview, I asked the investigator if there was any documentation/paperwork that I needed to bring to the interview. He said to only bring one paper regarding a matter.
I ended up bringing 3 binders worth of stuff…
I probably used these binders 5 or 6 times to clear things up, or give him more information that he couldn’t have gotten on his own.
When he confronted me with some information, I was able to prove what it was and that I didn’t have to report it (the investigator had no details on that derogatory information, just that there was something there, and that time…).
On subsequent interviews, I only bring my SF86s (old and new), passports (old and new…).
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I love when Subjects bring a copy. I get so many developed issues in my area that I love pointing out just exactly where on the form they omitted the truth! To each his own.
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Bringing your archival copy to your subject interview shows you are prepared, interested, and mature. Those who don’t, good luck with that.
I’ve been going through investigations and clearances since long before Al Gore invented the internet and the advent of the eQIP and the weird computer based tool before that and the good old days of pen and paper… Never brought a copy to an interview, never had a security officer suggest it, never had an investigator say it would be a good idea.
But at least it doesn’t appear to be a problem, so if you want to print out the whole thing, however long it might be, have at it.
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There’s really no need for it as the investigator will already have a copy, but there’s no harm in bringing it and following along. I’ve never suggested to anyone that they bring it, they just do, and that’s fine. It has never hindered my interviews
I always suggest the Subject bring a printed copy of their eQIP as it speeds up the interview if they can follow along. I ensure the Subject understands I have the official copy in the rare times there is a conflict (usually a newer or older submission).
I also suggest to the Subject to make corrections for their next submission.
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