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Clearance Guide

Educational context for reading job posts. Not legal advice, and not clearance verification. DefTechRoles does not broker or adjudicate clearances.

None

None

No clearance required to start. Common for GovTech product and commercial-adjacent roles.

Security+ and federal domain vocabulary still help you compete for Secret-track seats.

Secret

Secret

Access to Secret national security information. Common for DoD contractors.

Emphasize trustworthy handling of sensitive systems, not just tools, on your resume.

Top Secret

Top Secret

Higher adjudication bar; often required for deeper DoD / IC mission software and ops.

Frame prior work as mission assurance, continuous monitoring, and controlled environments.

TS/SCI

TS/SCI

Top Secret with Sensitive Compartmented Information eligibility. Frequent in IC-adjacent tech.

Expect stricter facility and need-to-know constraints; hybrid/onsite is common.

Polygraph

Polygraph

Additional screening on top of TS/SCI for certain missions.

List poly readiness only if accurate; never invent adjudication status.