How to Determine if a Job Post Requires Security Clearance

Table of contents

When searching for job listings, especially within government, defense, or cybersecurity sectors, it's important to identify whether a position requires security clearance. Security clearance is a designation that allows individuals to access classified information, and it's often a prerequisite for roles involving sensitive or confidential duties.

This guide will show you how to filter job posts that require security clearance using the Jobdata API by examining specific keywords in the job title and description_string fields.

Key Terms to Identify Security Clearance Requirements

Job posts requiring security clearance typically include specific keywords within the job title or description. The following keywords are commonly used:

• clearance: secret
• clearance: top secret
• dod secret
• poly level clearance
• public trust clearance
• secret clearance
• security clearance
• security vetting clearance
• ts/sci (Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information)

These terms might appear in different formats or variations, so considering multiple keyword combinations is essential.

Filtering Job Listings for Security Clearance

To identify jobs requiring security clearance, you'll need to first retrieve job listings from the Jobdata API and then filter them locally using the title and description_string fields. The description_str=true switch should be used when querying the API to ensure that the response includes an already cleaned, stripped, and lowercased version of the job description (description_string), making keyword searches easier.

Example Request in Python

Here's how you can make an initial API request to retrieve job listings, ensuring that the response includes the description_string:

import requests

url = "https://jobdataapi.com/api/jobs/"
params = {
    "description_str": "true",
}
headers = {
    "Authorization": "Api-Key YOUR_API_KEY"
}

response = requests.get(url, params=params, headers=headers)
job_listings = response.json().get('results', [])

Filtering the Job Listings

Once you have the job listings, you can filter them locally by searching for security clearance keywords within the title and description_string fields:

clearance_keywords = [
    "clearance: secret", "clearance: top secret", "dod secret",
    "poly level clearance", "public trust clearance", "secret clearance",
    "security clearance", "security vetting clearance", "ts/sci"
]

filtered_jobs = []

for job in job_listings:
    title = job.get("title", "").lower()
    description = job.get("description_string", "")

    if any(keyword in title for keyword in clearance_keywords) or \
       any(keyword in description for keyword in clearance_keywords):
        filtered_jobs.append(job)

# Print the filtered jobs that require security clearance
for job in filtered_jobs:
    print(f"Title: {job['title']}, Location: {job['location']}")

Understanding the Keywords

• Security Clearance Levels: Terms like secret, top secret, and ts/sci indicate different levels of security clearance, typically mentioned prominently in the job title or description.
• Public Trust Clearance: This term often refers to roles that, while not requiring full security clearance, still involve handling sensitive information and require specific vetting.
• Polygraph: Keywords like poly level clearance suggest the need for additional scrutiny, such as a lie detector test, beyond standard security clearance.
• DOD Secret: This refers to security clearances managed by the Department of Defense, typically required for defense-related roles.

Expanding Your Search Criteria

While the keywords listed above are the most common, it's worth considering additional phrases that might indicate the need for security clearance:

• High-Risk Positions: Jobs with terms like "background check required" or "security vetting" might not explicitly mention clearance but still involve significant security requirements.
• Government and Contractor Jobs: Positions related to government or contractor work often require clearance, even if not explicitly stated in the job description.

Conclusion

Identifying job posts that require security clearance involves carefully filtering through job titles and descriptions for specific keywords. By using the description_str=true parameter in your Jobdata API request, you can obtain a cleaner job description for easier keyword searching. This approach ensures that your job search is targeted and efficient, particularly if you're seeking or already possess the necessary security clearances for these roles.

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