The way it worked for a real US high security job (TS/SCI) was that the clearance process was totally separate from the employer. The fingerprints and polygraph

The way it worked for a real US high security job (TS/SCI) was that the clearance process was totally separate from the employer. The fingerprints and polygraph exams were done off premises. The famous SF-86 form[1], all 130 pages, had to be filled out, but nobody at the employer ever saw it. The checking and processing were done by the FBI or a unit in DoD. (The current SF-86 only wants your residence addresses for the last 10 years. Used to be "List all residences from birth".) [1] https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf86.pdf https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf86.pdf