I’m trying to figure out whether my Secret clearance is still considered active or not, and I’m hoping someone here can help clarify. I left the Marine Corps in 2022 after serving four years, and I never changed that part of my résumé because I was told Secret clearances are good for 10 years before they need to be reviewed. Someone recently mentioned that the 10 years only applies to the reinvestigation window, not how long it stays active after you leave a cleared position, so now I’m not sure.
For context, I was just released from my inactive reserve obligation in July of this year. I’ve been job hunting since 2022 and haven’t had any luck yet, even though I earned my B.S. in Aerospace Administration & Operations and I’m currently working on my MBA in Aerospace Defense. Multiple hiring managers and people in my field have reviewed my résumé and said it looks great, so I don’t want the clearance section to be another reason I’m getting filtered out.
If I do finally get a chance with a company, I want to be confident about what I tell them. How can I find out whether my Secret clearance is still considered active, current, eligible, or expired? And what’s the actual rule for how long a clearance remains “active” once you leave the military?
Any insight would help a lot.