Potential Employment Denied for Life?

[Frank]

Hello,
I have taken a polygraph twice for an alphabet soup agency and failed it twice. From reading George's main page, I found out that I could be blacklisted and will be denied a top secret security clearance for life, even with another agency. Is this true? Failing a polygraph for one agency will prevent employment with others? If this is such a pseudo-science, why are the top agencies relying on this?
Also, how can one appeal results? What is the time frame?
And last, I have tried contacting the recruiters who had me take the polygraph in the first place, and none of them are replying, even though they did before I took the polygraph. I really do want the job I originally applied for, but how can I do it if the people who brought it to my attention will not even respond?
Thanks for any advice.

[George W. Maschke]

Frank,

You can expect that the agency whose polygraph operators branded you as a liar will never hire you or grant you a security clearance. Your polygraph failure does not necessarily preclude you from ever obtaining a top secret clearance with another agency. However, it will make things more difficult. Your polygraph failure is a permanent record, and it will be shared with any other agency that may consider granting you a security clearance.

There is no meaningful appeal process for polygraph failures with any federal agency. What you can (and should) do, however, is to write a letter to the agency contesting the results. This letter should be added to your file and will document the fact that you contest the polygraph operators' accusation of deception.

Our government's reliance on the pseudoscience of polygraphy is both foolhardy and immoral. They use it as a cost-savings device. Some applicants make disqualifying admissions, obviating the need for a background investigation. But in the process, many truthful persons such as yourself are wrongly branded as liars and suffer irreparable career harm as a result. Meanwhile, spies, saboteurs, and terrorists can easily fool the polygraph using simple countermeasures that polygraph operators cannot detect.

[Doug Williams]

Well said George!

[xenonman]

Hello,
I have taken a polygraph twice for an alphabet soup agency and failed it twice. From reading George's main page, I found out that I could be blacklisted and will be denied a top secret security clearance for life, even with another agency. Is this true? Failing a polygraph for one agency will prevent employment with others? If this is such a pseudo-science, why are the top agencies relying on this?
Also, how can one appeal results? What is the time frame?
And last, I have tried contacting the recruiters who had me take the polygraph in the first place, and none of them are replying, even though they did before I took the polygraph. I really do want the job I originally applied for, but how can I do it if the people who brought it to my attention will not even respond?
Thanks for any advice.

How does one even know if the reason for a rejection for employment at the federal agency is polygraph related or not?  Certainly neither the CIA nor the NSA provide any explanation for not hiring an applicant.

[xenonman]

In the case of the CIA, once you're rejected for employment (for whatever  reason), you are essentially blacklisted by them for life, irrespective of what lies to the contrary their recruiter may tell you.
Their boilerplate letter of rejection used to say that a rejected application for CIA employment will have no effect on any other applications for government employment elsewhere.  I have no idea how true that is however!