I received a job offer that involves significant relocation. My job is contingent on getting and maintaining a Q clearance. The process starts after I accept and start working there. I have no moral issues, no drug usage (ever), no mental health problems, no foreign involvement (I have worked with foreigners in a professional setting over the years, but nothing personal), no financial problems (only a mortgage and good credit score), and plenty of good references over the years.
Smaller questions I have:
- Does DoE use SF86 for the clearance process? I figure they do, as a standard form, but can’t seem to find a clear answer on this. Most advice is either CIA, FBI, or military clearances related.
- Will there be a polygraph test involved? I’ve seen if for the likes of CIA, FBI, etc. Has anyone had to do this for a DoE laboratory? I’ve heard these can get very rough and harsh.
- There’s a psychological evaluation involved. I looked at SF86, I can say no to all the questions about being declared mentally compromised by a court. I have no issues in this area.
- How long does a Q clearance usually take to be granted these days? I’m seeing 6-12 months for TS clearances, the closest equivalent.
OK, brace yourself…
That said and asked, my biggest concern is a former employer. I resigned there just over 2 years ago (June 2024). I worked there 5.5 years total. My last 6 months there were a nightmare. After 5 good years (including 5 years of good performance reviews), trouble started, and not by me. The funding was drying up; the company relied on getting lots of small business research contracts. I and all the engineers had access to the project budgets for our research groups and salary information for when we had to make budget estimates in proposals. It was clear we were running out of funds for the staff we had. The prior 3 years, other engineers had left and not been replaced, suggesting a long-term slow decline. Other projects and a major piece of equipment were basically scrapped, exacerbating the problem. I also had an expensive medical crisis in the family in Nov. 2023, which I suspect may have contributed to what followed. A small business can suffer a lot if one employee has a very high health insurance claim. Can’t prove this, but it makes me wonder.
Jan-Feb. 2024, it became clearer my coworkers and manager were becoming more cold and hostile. March 1, 2024, I get called into my managers office and many “findings” thrown in my face as “poor performance.” I knew it was a sham show trial from the start and started looking for other jobs immediately. I especially knew since I was reassigned to a project utterly outside my background of what I was hired to do. They never said money was tight, but I could tell this was a setup. I was put on a PIP in May, citing poor communication (after 5 years of no problems and numerous, clearly-written proposals) and not understanding after “repeated explanation” (lie; they withheld information). I resigned early June 2024, so they can’t say I was fired.
Everything I read here and elsewhere says total honesty is key. I know I have to put this in my employment history, where I have to respond about being written up. I assume investigators will go through my old companies personnel files on me. I don’t have a photo or proof of my signed resignation letter. They ought to have it, and there’s no notice of termination because I left on good terms. I worked out my 2 weeks notice, I was not cut off immediately, I was not ushered out the door, and I was trusted enough to work alone. I have screenshots of emails with absolutely no confidential information, from 2 of my tormentors (1 of which was my manager) wishing me well on my future endeavors, for which I thanked them. I remained professional to the very end.
My questions regarding this tale of woe (if you read this far, thank you):
- What do I do if my former employer lies? The one-man HR dept. confirmed on my last day they only give names, dates of employment, and title. Anyone contacted inside the organization forwards all things back to him. Still, I can’t be sure I’ll get a fair hearing.
- My former manager has long since moved on to another role. I have a cell number, and I can’t be sure that’s accurate anymore. I have no email. What should I put in those fields?
- For that matter, I highly expect he’ll badmouth me. He’s the only really horrible manager I’ve ever had. I know PIPs and performance problems are not a problem for adjudication, but will that get back to my manager?
- What proof should I bring in case he lies? How can I prove my side? I don’t have access to my evidence, and it’d be proprietary even if I did.
- I left because of the toxicity, but also because the work had hit a dead end. All of those can be true at once. I’ve used the latter reason during the job interviews, never going into the drama. Will putting this on the pre-background check form cause problems? I filled this out prior to getting the offer, before I knew the clearance process.
- How do I pare down the above? I had to give context, but I have to be brief on the form, especially since renewals will look at this initial form. I have to get the story very accurate but not overshare or overcomplicate things. Would just keeping the lines to “funding was drying up, I was stagnating skills-wise, it was time to move on” fly with a BI?
- Is it worth getting a lawyer to help navigate this quagmire?
This whole process has me on edge. Waiting 6-12 months for something so critical to my livelihood and providing for my family is already a torment. Should I be worried?