In addition to ensuring that you begin to organize your information (resume, transcripts, maybe some Tax Returns for dates when you worked at various employers, especially for short term employment, think of neighbors and contacts who knew you when you lived at an address) and contacting an attorney who is experienced in security clearance hearings and appeals, you should draft your answers in a separate document and not simply in your draft E-QIP.
What can it look like when you fail to report information relevant to a SF-86 (E-QIP, etc.)? Well in this case an individual faced the following concerns in a security clearance hearing under 10 CFR Part 710:
"(...) the LSO [Local Security Office] cited the following: (1) the individual tested positive for cocaine during a random urinalysis on April 15, 2012, while working part time at his previous job, and when he was informed of the drug test results on May 5, 2012, he did not deny using illegal drugs; 2) the individual possessed a security clearance at the time he tested positive for cocaine and consequently, his security clearance from his previous job was suspended on June 2, 2012; 3) the individual was separated from his previous job; and 4) on May 24, 2012, the individual completed his SF-86 (Questionnaire for National Security Positions) for his application for a position with a DOE contractor, just a month after he tested positive for cocaine. Id. Under criterion (f), the LSO cited the following misrepresentations by the individual: 1) his failure to report on his SF-86 that he has used illegal drugs within the last seven years, his outstanding debt and judgment for $1,982.49 for medical expenses, and his arrest in mid-2005 for pulling a fire alarm at a high school; 2) his failure to disclose during his July 11, 2012, PRSI that he used illegal drugs and that his security clearance was suspended by his previous job; 3) his denial of using illegal drugs during his January 10, 2013, PRSI, and his statement that he was eligible for rehire at his previous job and that his clearance was ending, even though it was already suspended; and 3) his failure to list his 2005 arrest on the SF-86 that he submitted on May 7, 2009." See PSH-14-0008.*)
This content is for general information only. Your specific circumstances and reporting obligations may differ significantly. Be sure to contact an attorney, establish attorney client privilege and confidentiality, and learn more about the applicable law that applies to your specific situation. If you have questions about how to accurately and completely respond to questions for your employment in ways that can help mitigate any concerns about past conduct, then call 865-235-1787 for a confidential consultation today.
*(Please note that the Criterion method referenced in PSH-14-0008 isn't used by DOE as of the time of this blog post, but similar concerns are regularly raised in hearings under 10 CFR 710.)