In this episode, I will be reviewing the job board Cleared Connections (clearedconnections.com). Bottom line up front, we're canceling our subscription as quickly as possible. While there are a few unique aspects of Cleared Connections that are not to be found on many other sites, there are better resources available for the money spent.
Starting with the positives, one of the requirements of obtaining access to Cleared Connections is that your company must have a Facility Clearance and a Facility Security Officer. This greatly limits the number of recruiters that are farming the board and, in a competitive landscape like recruiting, dramatically reducing competition is crucial. Another aspect that separates them from the herd is the fact that you must have a security clearance to list your resume on the site. Many of the positions that I recruit for require a clearance and it (in theory) makes life simpler to not have to sort through the hoards of people on Monster who claim to have one (i.e. "I work at K-Mart and we have clearances all the time!"). Other highlights are the ability to have multiple accounts under one subscription as well as 10,000 job postings.
My main concern about Cleared Connections is the lack of candidates. It's a double edged sword when you limit who can post their resume. Most candidates, with and without clearances, still flock to the big boys (Monster, Careerbuilder, Hotjobs) which means that I can find most of the Cleared Connections candidates on other boards as well. The actual screening process that the candidates go through when signing up must also have its faults. I have found candidates with H-1 visas, candidates who held clearances "back in Nam" but nothing since, and the casual "Yes, I want a clearance. How do I get one?" So there is still some weeding out of disqualified candidates that I have to do.
Price is roughly $7,500 per year. The biggest competitor is ClearanceJobs.com which we will hopefully be trying soon.
Have a similar or different experience with Cleared Connections? Please share your comments.
2 comments:
I've used Cleared Connections for 3 years with great results. Did you call them and ask for personal assistance. They have bee real helpful in providing us recruitment assistance at no additional cost.
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