I got asked about ClearanceJobs by a buddy who was separating from the Air Force last year. He’d seen it mentioned in some veteran Facebook groups and wanted to know if it was worth signing up for. I’d used it myself during my transition, so I gave him the honest rundown.
Short answer: yes, it’s legit. Longer answer: it’s legit but works better for some people than others.
What ClearanceJobs Actually Is
ClearanceJobs is a job board specifically for positions requiring security clearances. That’s the whole niche. If you have an active Secret, Top Secret, or TS/SCI clearance, this is where companies post jobs for people like you.
The site has been around since 1999, which in internet years makes it ancient. It’s owned by TEGNA, a legitimate media company. Not some fly-by-night operation trying to harvest your personal information.
The employers on there are mostly defense contractors, intelligence community contractors, and cleared facilities doing government work. Lockheed, Northrop, Raytheon, Booz Allen—the usual suspects—but also hundreds of smaller contractors that need cleared personnel.
How It Works
You create a profile with your clearance level, skills, and experience. The profile is visible to employers who are looking for candidates with your qualifications. They can reach out directly if they’re interested.
You can also search and apply for posted positions like any other job board. The difference is that every job there requires a clearance, so you’re not wasting time on positions you’re not eligible for.
Basic accounts are free. There’s a paid premium option that gives you more visibility and some additional features. I never paid for premium—the free version worked fine for me—but I know people who swear by the upgrade.
Is It Actually Useful?
Depends on your situation. Here’s who I think benefits most:
People with active TS/SCI clearances get the most action. Those clearances are expensive and time-consuming to obtain. Employers want candidates who already have them rather than waiting twelve to eighteen months for an investigation to complete.
Technical roles—cybersecurity, software development, systems engineering—see heavy recruiting on the platform. The demand for cleared tech workers far exceeds the supply.
If you’re in a more generalist role or have a Secret clearance, you’ll still find opportunities but probably fewer unsolicited contacts from recruiters.
My Experience
I put up a profile about six months before I separated. Within a few weeks, I was getting messages from recruiters. Not an overwhelming flood, but steady interest.
Most of the messages were from small and mid-size contractors I’d never heard of. Some were clearly form letters sent to anyone with my clearance level and job codes. Others were more personalized and led to actual conversations.
I ended up taking a job that I found through my own network, not through ClearanceJobs. But a couple of the leads from the site were legitimate backup options that I probably would have pursued otherwise.
My buddy who asked me about it did get his job through ClearanceJobs. He was a cyber guy with a TS/SCI, which is basically catnip for recruiters in this space. He had multiple offers within a month of seriously looking.
Red Flags to Watch For
While the site itself is legitimate, not every employer posting there is equally trustworthy. A few things I’d watch for:
Vague job descriptions that don’t explain what you’d actually be doing. Legitimate cleared positions can only say so much in a public posting, but they should at least describe the general nature of the work.
Companies you can’t verify with a quick search. Most defense contractors have a web presence. If you can’t find any information about a company, be cautious.
Requests for sensitive information before you’ve even interviewed. Your clearance verification happens through official channels, not through a recruiter asking for documentation.
Salary ranges that seem too good to be true. Cleared positions pay well, but outliers that are dramatically above market rate are usually bait for something sketchy.
Alternatives
ClearanceJobs isn’t the only option. USAJobs has federal positions. Indeed and LinkedIn have cleared contractor jobs mixed in with everything else. Some agencies have their own job boards.
But for a concentrated source of cleared positions from contractors, ClearanceJobs is hard to beat. The specialization is the value.
Bottom Line
Is ClearanceJobs legit? Yes. Will it get you a job? Maybe, depending on your clearance level, skills, and market conditions.
It costs nothing to try the free version. Put up a profile, see what happens. If nothing comes of it, you haven’t lost anything. If it leads to your next job, you’ll be glad you signed up.
That’s what I told my buddy, and that’s what I’d tell anyone asking the same question.
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