The following tips are based on experience with investigators and the regulatory processes. It is a federal crime to lie or purposefully omit information on your SF-86 form. No matter how small the matter you think it may be, do not lie. Regardless of what "friends" or "recruiters" tell you, do not lie. Allow me to explain.

Smoked marijuana six years ago with friends but someone tells you not to list it? Sure, there will be no paper trail if an arrest did not occur, but here is why it can pose a problem. First, all it takes is one lapse in your memory, a minor little detail, to unravel your lie. This day in age, there are multiple methods of gaining potential incriminating information such as cell phone cameras, etc. Did you forget about that social media post? Are you friends going to lie for you if they are questioned?

Not to mention, you are applying for a position of trust regarding national security. Lying is not a way to start your career. Sure, it may sting a little rehashing certain things, but I promise it will be better for you in the long run. It's just easier, to tell the truth than to lie. In fact, almost everything can be mitigated as long as you're truthful.

And finally, what happens, let’s say, you move on into your career and later require a Lifestyle Polygraph? Oops!

My motto: We don’t clear perfect people, we clear honest people.

Identifying Information – Sections 1-6

In this section, you are listing all identifying information. Mistakes here are one of the primary reasons for delays in clearance processing (and trust me, it's not like they need any help). You must be truthful and enter as much detail as you can remember/know.

This section seems simple enough; however, people often skip over those minor nicknames used a few years ago thinking that they are insignificant. Variations of your name must also be included if it applies to you. For instance, my official name is Joseph, but I go by Joey. It does not matter that I signed everything as Joseph.

If you have had a name change, you must include that information. If you fail to do so, it could require the process to be restarted. Individuals who have gotten married and changed their last name must also include that information in this section.

Contact Information – Section 7

This section is used for investigators and agencies to communicate with you as needed. Please include all contact information and additional means of communication if at all possible. Your investigator will be contacting you for an interview and will need this information.

Passport and Citizenship – Section 8-10

In this section, it is important to list your passport information. If you passport information has expired, you will still list it. If you do not recall the information related to your passport, then make the best guess and tick the "Estimated" box. Just because you don't know the information does not mean you should completely omit it.

Under the citizenship section, it is important to know that no individual can be granted a security clearance unless they prove that they are a U.S. citizen. There are exceptions to this rule, but it is extremely narrow and would not likely apply to you and your situation.

You will need to enter any and all documentation information if you have a naturalization certificate or other forms of proof.

Where you have lived – Section 11

This section is another area that can cause delays in processing. The important part here is to list anything and everything to the best of your abilities. If you have lived in a residence for over 90 days in the last ten years, you will be listing it here. Understandably, it may be difficult to remember specific information. Do your best.

As you fill out the information, please include those who knew you at that residence. It’s okay if they didn’t know you well or just saw you in passing. If there are unique details (gated community, etc.) about the place you lived at, include those as well.

If you were overseas, please identify someone who knew you while you were living abroad.

Education – Section 12

This section is intended to gather information for degree or diploma seeking education only. There is no need to list professional development classes or certificate programs. Even if you do not have any schools to list in the last ten years, you are required to list all degrees and diplomas all the way back to high school. Your investigation will verify your highest degree and having that information as early as possible will get you on your way to your clearance faster.

For education in the last three years, you are required to list a person who knew you. If you attended class on campus, you should try to provide a person who is still on campus such as your adviser, a department secretary or a professor. Your investigator is going to need to talk with people going back three years from today so keep that in mind when you are providing a point of contact.

If you attended classes online, check the "Correspondence/Distance Learning" box on e-QIP. If you don't check this box, then an investigator will waste time going to the school in person trying to find people who knew you.

Employment – Section 13

Your previous employments will most likely be the primary focus of your background investigation. They can comment on our main areas of concern such as reliability, willingness to follow the rules, work ethic, etc., and should also be able to comment on your background and personal life. Because your workplaces are critical to your clearance process, it is important that you correctly complete this section of the e-QIP.

When providing the name and contact information for your supervisor, there are a few things to consider. Your background investigator is going to want to talk to your immediate, first level supervisor with whom you have contact on a daily basis. If you are a government contractor assigned to a government facility, list your on-site supervisor even if that person is not with your same company. Do not list your off-site corporate point of contact if you do not have close professional contact with them.

When instructed on e-QIP to provide the address of each employer, list the location of your company headquarters where your employment record is likely to be. This is not as important for federal employees and military service members as your employment files are centralized. If you do not work at the company's headquarters be sure to check "yes," your physical work location is different from your employer and provide your actual work location. If your investigators do not have your physical location from the beginning, it will delay your investigation.

If you are or were in the military, you need to list each duty station and deployment in the last ten years along with supervisors for each duty station. Do not list your entire military time under your current duty station. Separate assignments within the same duty station need to be listed individually.

Be honest about your reason for leaving a job as well as in response to the questions regarding workplace warnings and reprimands.

If there are periods of unemployment over the last ten years provide the name and contact information of someone who can speak to your reason for unemployment, your activities during that period and your source of financial funding during your period of unemployment. It is best if this person is not a family member.

Selective Service and Military – Section 14-15

If you do not know your selective service number, go to www.sss.gov

You must list all military branches separately. If you were active duty Army and joined the Army National Guard after your Army discharge, then you will need two entries in this section. If you were prior enlisted and got your commission, you will need two entries, even if the service was in the same branch. If you changed states with National Guard service, you need an entry for each state. If you changed from Army National Guard to Air National Guard, you would need two entries. If you had a period of Inactive Reserve after active duty service, this needs to be listed separately.

People Who Know You Well – Section 16

Listing the wrong people in this section WILL delay your investigation. The three people listed in this section should have had social contact with you within the last seven years. The background investigation process allows for people who are homebodies or simply don't have much time to socialize. Investigators can interpret "social" fairly widely; they need people with whom you have in-person contact. If you don't have a close group of friends or belong to a social organization, then people such as fellow church members, other parents from your child's soccer league, a neighbor with whom you have dinner or drinks or someone from a volunteer organization would be just fine. If you play sports with co-workers, they would be ideal to list.

Relatives – Section 17-18

You have to list all ex-spouses, even the one from that practice marriage after high school.

For your investigation, a cohabitant is a person with whom you live in a spouse-like relationship. Do not list platonic roommates, only persons with whom you share a residence and romance.

Failing to list required relatives will not typically delay your investigation; however, the omission of foreign-born relatives will slow down your case as checks need to be run on international family members. Do your best to obtain and provide document numbers for relatives born outside of the United States as well as relatives who are not citizens of the United States. For foreign national relatives, you will be required to provide the name and address of their most recent employer, even if they are currently unemployed or retired. Family members who are dual citizens of the United States and another country should be treated as foreign nationals on e-QIP.

Foreign Contacts and Activities – Section 19-20

Foreign influence is one of the top reasons security clearances are denied. If you have any foreign contacts, this is a tricky section of the SF-86. Be very careful to accurately portray your contacts, dealings, and travel in this section. You are asked to provide information regarding foreign nationals to whom you, your spouse or your cohabitant are "bound by affection, influence, common interests, and/or obligation." The Government has yet to define what that means and relies greatly on your judgment regarding your relationships with foreign nationals. If a person has some influence over or if you have an obligation to them, then they should be listed.

For the foreign financial interests questions, note that they refer to "ever" having foreign financial dealings. Most other questions in this section request information from the last seven years.

If your foreign travel was on official government business, you must still answer "yes" to foreign travel and then "yes" again to the travel being solely for government business. If you took any personal side trips on that official travel, then you must answer "no" to the travel being solely for government business. For example, if you were sent to Germany on official business but crossed into France for tourism then the France trip would need to be listed.

Mental Health – Section 21

Read this question carefully. Treatment or counseling for family issues, grief, emotional concerns after sexual assault and emotional problems due to service in a combat environment do not need to be listed. You should, of course, be honest, but health care providers are difficult to schedule and waiting for them to reply to your investigator may delay your clearance. Only list the providers that need to be listed. If you have had counseling in the last seven years, contact the care provider to make sure that they will accept the standard SF-86 Medical Release. If the provider has their form, obtain a copy from the provider and bring that with you to your security interview.

Police Record – Section 22

Note that while most questions in this section ask about the last seven years only, the questions regarding felonies, drug and alcohol offenses, firearms, explosives and domestic violence refer to your entire life. If you had an open container citation in college twenty years ago, this needs to be listed. Also note that the "ever" questions ask about charges, not just convictions. This means if you were arrested for DUI but the charge was reduced to Reckless Driving, this DUI charge still needs to be listed. The only exception to this is domestic violence, for which only convictions need to be listed. Don't leave off any criminal charges that need to be listed. If your SF-86 matches the criminal records obtained by your investigating agency, then your background investigation is likely to finish quickly, assuming that the police record is your only issue. If the information you provide in e-QIP does not match the official criminal justice records, your investigation will take longer.

Drugs & Alcohol – Section 23-24

These questions are straightforward and surprisingly well constructed. Just be honest and list all dates and substances to the best of your recollection. There is no need to list illegal drug usage beyond seven years and remember; as far as the Government is concerned marijuana is an illegal drug regardless of your state's laws.

DO NOT LIE OR OMIT THINGS.

Clearance Record – Section 25

All previous federal background investigations for security purposes need to be listed. Your background investigators will need to review prior investigations, and we need to know when those happened and which agency conducted them.

Financial Record – Section 26

Financial issues are the number one reason security clearances are denied. Security clearance adjudicators understand that people make mistakes and that people have unexpected expenses in life. The financial accounts on your e-QIP need to exactly match the information found on your credit report, so get a copy of your credit report right before you complete your SF-86.

I tell everyone to pull it before filling out the form. This way you know precisely the balances and information. Plus, you can identify any issues. It's free, so there is no reason not to do it.

Information Technology Systems – Section 27

This is another tricky section where your judgment and honesty dictate the level of severity that needs to be reported. These questions apply to hacking, denial of service and misuse of your employer's IT systems. They are not intended to make you disclose a few illegal song downloads or the time you guessed your spouse's Facebook password. Lack of respect for IT security procedures has allowed for serious security breaches within the US Government over the last few years and is a major concern for security officers. Any relevant activities within the last seven years need to be disclosed.

Civil Actions – Section 28

Only answer in the affirmative to this question if you have been a plaintiff or a defendant in a court filing in the last ten years. You should not list participation in class action suits or participation as a witness in a trial.

Association Record – Section 29

These are fairly self-explanatory, and hopefully, you will be able to answer "no" to all of them.