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What not to write on your security clearance form (1988)

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Re: What not to write on your security clearance form (1988)

#171

Post by hackingthelema »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #157
voisin wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mindfulness meditation may help calm the racing mind.

Thanks, I've heard that over time; I've tried a bit of mindfulness over the years and I see the value in it, I just haven't been able to harness it yet. I've tried some guided audio body focus mindfulness/meditation and 1. Most of it tries too hard and loses me with "Third Eye" and "Spirit world" "and chakra energy frequency balance" 2. Most of it starts from toes and turns out I need to start from center (ridiculous…

Abandon guided meditations and audio-based meditations, and focus to a simple programme of breath-focus. You just:

1. sit quietly and comfortably

2. breathe through your nose

3. find the feeling of air moving in and out of your nose

4. observe that feeling of air

5. if your mind starts observing other thoughts instead of the breath feeling -- 'I have an itch', 'this sitting position is uncomfortable', 'what about my meeting tomorrow' -- you notice your observation has left the air-in-your-nose feeling, and you gently redirect it back to focusing on that instead of the thoughts.

6. Repeat. You'll slowly increase from 2-3 seconds of focus to minutes at a time.

> 3. Most importantly, unsurprisingly, I suck at it. I keep trying every now and then; maybe I'll give it another go :)

You're better off with 3-5 minutes daily, regularly, than with longer sessions sporadically. It's a matter of practice and getting the knack of concentration down. Slowly increase to 10-15 minutes a day over a month or two, and really focus on getting the technique mastered more than anything.

The book Mindfulness in Plain English is both available freely online, and my favourite guide to getting it right.

Re: What not to write on your security clearance form (1988)

#172

Post by j33zusjuice »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #157
voisin wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mindfulness meditation may help calm the racing mind.

Thanks, I've heard that over time; I've tried a bit of mindfulness over the years and I see the value in it, I just haven't been able to harness it yet. I've tried some guided audio body focus mindfulness/meditation and 1. Most of it tries too hard and loses me with "Third Eye" and "Spirit world" "and chakra energy frequency balance" 2. Most of it starts from toes and turns out I need to start from center (ridiculous…

The app “Balance” is decent, and they give a year free on it (or gave, anyway). I primarily use it to go to sleep when my mind is racing (I fall asleep within 10 minutes every time, even if I’ve been laying and thinking for an hour or two), but I’ve listened to a few here and there, and I haven’t heard any mysticism.

Re: What not to write on your security clearance form (1988)

#174

Post by throwaway2016a »

matwood wrote: post #93
technothrasher wrote: post #67

"Here, fill it out again and don't mention that." I had the exact same experience when applying for a clearance while I was in college, for the "have you taken illegal drugs" question. When I honestly answered yes, the interviewer got fidgety and then asked, "well do you take them now?" no. "Do you know any drug users?" We're on a college campus, what would you like me to say? "Well, are you friends with any of them?…

This is surprising because it's the exact wrong thing to do. Past drug use will not disqualify you from a clearance, but lying absolutely will. Depending on the clearance level they will interview a number of people, including second degree connections. I know someone who used to be an investigator, and it surprised me when they told me how often first degree connections would say bad things about their 'friend'.

A friend of mine has the same experience. They answered yes to the marijuana question and still got clearance.

Another friend lied and said no (this was for a college internship so I knew a couple people working there) and got rejected once their story didn't check out with their personal references.

Re: What not to write on your security clearance form (1988)

#175

Post by frogpelt »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #149

When I moved to Canada, at age 16-17 I initially failed a lot of job applications at places like Staples, Future Shop, Best Buy, Radio Shack, etc. For some reason, many of them had a type of "Corporate Personality Test" on their application, and asked the same "Have you ever considered stealing from your employer?" to which I would cheerfully answer "Yes". Apparently this was an automatic deal-breaker; there was no f…

On the word “consider”: A friend of mine tells a story about his dad and his appreciation for the practicality of a brick house.

Someone once asked him “Would you ever consider putting any other siding on your house besides brick?”

His answer: “I’d consider it. And then I’d brick it.”

Re: What not to write on your security clearance form (1988)

#176

Post by cm2187 »

threatofrain wrote: post #167
screamingninja wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would think that you have been using the word "considered" rather lightly. To me, it means careful thought and deliberation, not just "the thought crossed my mind at some point".

And there are many who do use “considered” to mean that a thought crossed their mind. Surely this does not shock you. The problem is not the interpretation of a word. The problem is how the ocean of other people answered this question. There comes a point when being honest is completely stupid, and when most people use the word honesty they don’t mean to cross into the completely stupid territory. That being said I’d…

Perhaps filtering out stupid people is the goal of the question.

No one is completely honest. Courtesy is the art of lying.

Re: What not to write on your security clearance form (1988)

#177

Post by brookst »

geomark wrote: post #156
voisin wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mindfulness meditation may help calm the racing mind.

I did that while taking a polygraph administered by a representative of a three letter agency. He said I was being deceptive.

Did you explain that you were just pretending to be deceptive, b it were in fact fully cooperating?

Re: What not to write on your security clearance form (1988)

#178

Post by NikolaNovak »

screamingninja wrote: post #159
NikolaNovak wrote: post #149

When I moved to Canada, at age 16-17 I initially failed a lot of job applications at places like Staples, Future Shop, Best Buy, Radio Shack, etc. For some reason, many of them had a type of "Corporate Personality Test" on their application, and asked the same "Have you ever considered stealing from your employer?" to which I would cheerfully answer "Yes". Apparently this was an automatic deal-breaker; there was no f…

I would think that you have been using the word "considered" rather lightly. To me, it means careful thought and deliberation, not just "the thought crossed my mind at some point".

Yes and No.

I have "Considered" stealing from my employer several times. When I was 15 I was a refugee and worked in a Radio-Shack-like store in Croatia. We built PCs in back and sold them in the front. The front and back were separated by a curtain, and highest value items (ram sticks) happened to be stashed on the shelf on the side of the entrance. I realized it would take literally 5 seconds for a customer to reach through the curtain and grab them. That got me thinking on whether as an insider I would have higher or lower risk than a random customer. How could I reduce the risk? What's a simple, non-overly-elaborate method that would let me accomplish this? So I did spend some time considering this problem space (and then next day suggested to my boss to move the RAM further inside:)

Similarly with suicide. Everybody's life is hard and has ups and downs. I've "considered" suicide in several different ways many times in my life, sometimes at "obvious" times of hardship, otherwise at simply slow, boring times. I'm largely a cheerful optimistic person FWIW, but I find everything interesting even fascinating, including that particular life (ending) choice.

Talking to couple of my closest oldest friends, who are most similar to me, they have few mental taboos. But talking to most other people, at least as far as they're willing to be honest with me and/or themselves, they have never considered SO MANY topics, virtually regardless of how light or heavy we define the word.

Re: What not to write on your security clearance form (1988)

#179

Post by gpcz »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #149

When I moved to Canada, at age 16-17 I initially failed a lot of job applications at places like Staples, Future Shop, Best Buy, Radio Shack, etc. For some reason, many of them had a type of "Corporate Personality Test" on their application, and asked the same "Have you ever considered stealing from your employer?" to which I would cheerfully answer "Yes". Apparently this was an automatic deal-breaker; there was no f…

Instead, the companies want people willing to lie on forms.

Re: What not to write on your security clearance form (1988)

#180

Post by sybercecurity »

throwaway2016a wrote: post #174
matwood wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is surprising because it's the exact wrong thing to do. Past drug use will not disqualify you from a clearance, but lying absolutely will. Depending on the clearance level they will interview a number of people, including second degree connections. I know someone who used to be an investigator, and it surprised me when they told me how often first degree connections would say bad things about their 'friend'.

A friend of mine has the same experience. They answered yes to the marijuana question and still got clearance. Another friend lied and said no (this was for a college internship so I knew a couple people working there) and got rejected once their story didn't check out with their personal references.

The interview/form is looking for potential blackmail or tendency to lie or obscure facts. If you are honest, that's fine, although they sometimes ask that you are currently using as well and that is a strike against you.
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