Your clearance is a career asset. Here's how the ladder works.

If you work in federal IT, your security clearance is a professional asset with real market value — often worth more than any single certification. This guide explains the tiers, the polygraphs, and why cleared platform engineers are among the most sought-after people in the DC market.

The tiers, plainly

Secret covers a large share of defense work. Top Secret requires a deeper background investigation. TS/SCI adds eligibility for compartmented intelligence programs — this is where the intelligence community market begins. Beyond that sit the polygraphs: CI (counterintelligence) poly, and the Full Scope Poly (FSP), which combines CI and lifestyle scopes and is required for many NSA-adjacent programs. Each step up shrinks the eligible talent pool — and raises what that talent commands.

Why clearance often beats experience

A program with funded seats and a clearance requirement cannot hire an uncleared expert quickly — new investigations take months to years. But it can hire a cleared junior and train them fast. That's why serious cleared-talent firms treat an active TS/SCI with limited experience as an investment, not a rejection: the clearance is the hard part; the skills are trainable. It's the exact model behind our training-plus-placement approach.

Crossover: the part everyone underestimates

Holding a clearance isn't the same as being read on. Moving between agencies or contracts requires crossover — the receiving program verifies and accepts your existing clearance. Timelines vary from days to months depending on agencies involved and the polygraph's currency. A good employer manages crossover paperwork for you and tells you straight what the timeline looks like; treat anything else as a red flag.

Quick answers

See our 23 open cleared roles