CISOs are required to make numerous timely decisions relating to the security of an organization. These decisions can have serious consequences, which is why learning all you can about a candidate’s ability to handle a potential crisis is so important. Using the appropriate set of CISO interview questions is critical for securing a successful hire. 

As a leading executive search firm specializing in IT leadership roles, the team at Kirby Partners has conducted hundreds of CISO interviews. As a result, we’ve learned exactly which questions are most effective at gauging whether a candidate is a good fit for a CISO role.

In this post, we’ve curated our top questions for evaluating a candidate’s leadership style, technical expertise, and strategic capabilities. We suggest selecting the questions from each section that best align with your organization’s strategic imperatives.

(If you’re interviewing for a CISO position, we encourage you to review these questions as you prepare. Make sure to check out our executive interviewing guide for tips; ensure you’ve reviewed McKinsey’s article “Eight CEO Priorities for 2024” for ideas on areas to emphasize during your interview.)

CISO interview questions

Section 1: opening / rapport-building questions

1. Please give a two-minute overview of your career focusing on your healthcare leadership responsibilities.
2. What interests you about this opportunity and our organization?
3. What is most rewarding about IT work, and what keeps you motivated?
4. What do you enjoy most about the CISO role? What do you find the most challenging?
5. What are some of your hobbies or interests?

Section 2: leadership and cultural fit CISO interview questions

1. How would you become a leader at our organization and in the community as a whole?
2. What kind of leadership team environment have you thrived in most in the past? What kind of teams have you struggled with?
3. Knowing that you’d be joining a tight-knit team, how would you develop strong relationships?
4. Describe your experience mentoring and growing teams.
5. What is your strategy for hiring direct reports?
6. How does this position align with your long-term personal and career goals?
7. Describe your ideal work environment.
8. What would your first 30/60/90 days on the job look like?
9. How have you made a difference in your community?
10. What would you have liked to do more of in your current/last position? What held you back?
11. Describe a time when you had to lead a team through a major change.
12. What would your colleagues at your current position say about your diversity contributions?
13. What are some of the most significant challenges you’ve faced in your career, and how have they shaped your approach to leadership?
14. What are your most important relationships in your current role, and how do you maintain them?
15. Describe a time when you had to exert influence over an executive committee. What was the outcome?
16. What is your approach to change management?
17. How would you describe your leadership style?
18. Tell me about a transformation you led that had a positive business impact. (Listen for: business outcomes rather than just “on time” or “under budget” metrics.)

Section 3: functional and technical expertise

1. Briefly describe the elements of a best-in-class security program.
2. Can you describe an example of a security event at a previous position and how you
   managed it?
3. Have you ever been involved in a Corrective Action Plan?
4. Please describe where you feel the “right” balance is between risk and business agility, as
   well as how you work to achieve that optimal balance.
5. How would you go about evaluating our organization’s security risks?
6. Please share your strategies for getting “buy-in” for prioritizing security, and how you
   think about it as a policing function versus an education function.
7. How do you stay ahead of security threats to ensure the organization is
   protected?
8. What is the biggest upcoming change you foresee in the security landscape?

Section 4: driving results

1. Please describe your experience presenting security topics to the board or c-suite executives.
2. What was your primary contribution or achievement in your last or current position?
   Biggest challenge?
3. What metrics or KPIs are appropriate to measure the effectiveness of an information
   security program?
4. How have you built a culture of security awareness in your current role?
5. Tell me about a time when you had to collaborate with internal stakeholders from
   compliance, technical services or legal where you had to resolve competing interests.
6. Tell me about your current or most recent position and how you helped the
   organization accomplish its goals and mission.
7. How have you reacted when you found yourself stalled in an inefficient process?
8. Tell me about a time when you inherited a process or security risk that wasn’t adequate
   and you had limited time to fix it.
9. Tell me about your current or most recent position and how you helped the
   organization accomplish its goals and mission.
10. Describe some ways you’ve delivered on the philosophy that technology can be an
    organizational enabler in your past or current position.

Ultimately, these CISO interview questions will help organizations to effectively assess candidates’ leadership capabilities, strategic vision, and IT security acumen.

Kirby Partners is a leading technology and cybersecurity executive search firm. If you need to hire an exceptional CISO, we encourage you to learn more about our executive search services or contact us for more information.

Interested in CISO opportunities? Please check out our open positions.