Security Clearance Guide
Plain English on Confidential, Secret, Top Secret, SCI, and DoE L/Q — and how to put yours to work in the civilian job market.
Confidential
Every 15 yearsInformation whose unauthorized disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause damage to national security.
Secret
Every 10 yearsInformation whose unauthorized disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause serious damage to national security. Roughly equivalent to DoE 'L' Access Authorization.
Top Secret
Every 5 years + continuous evaluationInformation whose unauthorized disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to national security. Roughly equivalent to DoE 'Q' Access Authorization.
TS/SCI
Top Secret + special accessTop Secret plus a formal 'need-to-know' determination for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI). Read-in per program.
Clearance FAQs
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Source material adapted from public U.S. Government references on personnel security. JobSearchFix AI is an independent career-coaching platform and is not affiliated with DoD, DoE, or any federal agency.