How does one land a defense contractor job with no military experience?

I have looked at some of the job postings, specifically by Raytheon. They usually ask for a degree in CIS, IT or related field with a high gpa and i.t certs.

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yoba222

By having a clearance and by having prior government contractor work experience. So how does one land that first defense contractor job? One way to do it is to find one that has a relatively high employee turnover because the work is not great. NOCs can be like this. Not the best thing to do for 5 years in a row, but a fantastic way to get your foot in the door.

TechGuru80

The BEST ways are: join military, get an internship during school, specialize in a high demand area, or be willing to relocate to areas that aren’t seen as the best for entertainment (I.e. small cities).

Once you get in, you are in...the initial will be your most difficult barrier.

EANx

Being sponsored for a clearance early in your career generally involves some level of suck. Sometimes it's the 2300-0700 shift in a NOC, other times it's a helpdesk job in a warzone. But yes, once you're in, you have a lot more opportunities.

scada

EANx wrote: »

Being sponsored for a clearance early in your career generally involves some level of suck. Sometimes it's the 2300-0700 shift in a NOC, other times it's a helpdesk job in a warzone. But yes, once you're in, you have a lot more opportunities.

True, I knew lots of people in my old NOC/SOC who were doing exactly that . 18-24 months later they were gone. Please note the clearance process is taking over 24 months for a TS. Unsure what the time frame is fro Secret. You can check over at federalsoup.com and see .

Help desk job down in a warzone would be a great way to get a clearance and experience at the same time. Also you could stack up some cash and use it to pay for training in the future.

mikey88

Obtain Security+ certification asap along with an OS cert like MCSA Win10. Then look for companies willing to sponsor your clearance. Not many of them around, but they do exist. Search for keywords like "ability to obtain a clearance" Interim clearance can be granted in as little as 6 weeks.

And as previously mentioned above, when first starting out.. you will probably have to accept less desirable jobs (night shift, weekend, on call work) in sometimes rural areas.

Good luck!

Sylice

Will a CCNA Security do @mikey88? And yes, I will embrace the suck if that means I will have greater opportunities in the future.

shochan

Was contacted mid week about a secret clearance job but only had public trust clearance, but everything else they liked...they needed to fill within 6wks, but clearance would take 6mos...so, didn't qualify - bummer...cheers & hi5!

LordQarlyn

It's not that hard at all. For most DoD IT related contractor (or even GS jobs for that matter), prior service is not a necessity. The main advantage being or having been in the service is the clearance, and that's the hardest initial barrier to cross.
But if a contractor is a bottom feeder, and they desperately need to fill slots because of turnover, they will sponsor clearances. My current employer is doing that for badly needed cable technicians.

Keep applying for the jobs, even the ones that say you must have an active clearance. You never know who may be willing to sponsor you.

Based on my observations in the time it takes to get uncleared people over here, a SECRET seems to take between 90 to 120 days.

Sylice

LordQarlyn wrote: »

It's not that hard at all. For most DoD IT related contractor (or even GS jobs for that matter), prior service is not a necessity. The main advantage being or having been in the service is the clearance, and that's the hardest initial barrier to cross.
But if a contractor is a bottom feeder, and they desperately need to fill slots because of turnover, they will sponsor clearances. My current employer is doing that for badly needed cable technicians.

Keep applying for the jobs, even the ones that say you must have an active clearance. You never know who may be willing to sponsor you.

Based on my observations in the time it takes to get uncleared people over here, a SECRET seems to take between 90 to 120 days.

I see. What company do you work for?

TechGuru80

Op, why are you specifically set on Raytheon? What part of the country do you live? There are several contractors out there and the requirements are generally similar.

shochan

Some of the govt contract job sites I know of are below.

https://martinfed.com

https://www.asmr.com

https://www.boozallen.com

https://www.lockheedmartin.com

I'm sure I am missing many more, but those are some you can check out.