A big part of the problem exists in the chicken-and-egg nature of clearances. A company must first obtain a contract to work on a specific job in order to request a clearance. “Best thing I can recommend: try to hire someone who already has clearances,” says Jim Regan. A coalition of industry groups has formed to suggest reforms to the security clearance process. It could be months before there are any solid resolutions to the issue. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to take stock of who in your company has clearance before applying for that government contract job.”]