Free download · the complete set
The CISO Interview Template Pack
You're negotiating a $400K–700K package. This is the complete set of artifacts that gets you through every round without writing a board deck from a blank page the night before. It's free: take it, use it, and pass it on.
Built and maintained by a sitting security executive running real CISO loops, updated as the questions change.
Executive interview coaches cover the same ground for $5,000 to $15,000 per engagement. This is the self-serve version, and right now it costs nothing.
Free the full pack
- 7 templates & scripts, editable
- Worked 90-day plan example
- Board deck structure (10–12 slides)
- Comp benchmarks by company stage
- Yours to keep, no signup
All seven, free to read online — or download them. No payment, no signup.
Want to be found for the seat too? Join the privateCISO Network.
What's inside
Seven artifacts, one loop
90-Day Plan, full version
The complete editable plan with a worked example: a realistic company profile, filled-in stakeholder map, and quick wins that survive scrutiny.
Board presentation deck
10–12 slides in the structure boards actually expect: risk posture, roadmap, ask. Not a template full of pie charts. The real narrative arc.
Security strategy one-pager
The single page you hand the CEO when they say “summarize your approach.” Strategy, pillars, sequencing, and how you'll measure it.
Offer evaluation checklist
Reporting line, budget authority, D&O coverage, equity terms, severance, board access. Every clause that separates a real seat from a scapegoat seat.
Comp negotiation script + benchmarks
What to say, in what order, and the current market ranges for base, bonus, and equity at each company stage.
Worked answers: the 15 questions that decide loops
The 90-day question, "are we secure?", the budget cut, and 12 more: each with the answer shape, a fully written example answer, and the rejection trap to avoid.
Tabletop & case walkthroughs
Breach response, budget cut, and M&A due diligence scenarios: how to run the room when the interview becomes a simulation.
Questions
Who is this for?
Directors, Heads of Security, and deputy CISOs actively interviewing (or planning to within 12 months) for a CISO or VP Security seat. If you are 3+ years out, read the free guides first: they cover the concepts; the pack is the execution layer.
How is it delivered?
Read all seven pieces free on the site, or download them as one file. No purchase, no signup, and everything you take is yours to keep.
What's the catch?
None. It is free while we grow the audience. If paid plans ever return, anything you took while it was free stays yours, no strings.
Why is it free?
Because distribution matters more than revenue right now. The more security leaders who use this and pass it on, the better it gets. Sharing it with a peer is the only thing we ask.
Is this just the free content repackaged?
No. The guides explain how to think about each round. The pack is the finished artifacts: filled-in templates, a worked example, benchmarks, and scripts you edit rather than write from scratch.
Stay in the loop
Get the 90-Day Plan and new drops
The pack above is free to download right now. Drop your email to also get the standalone 90-Day Plan template and a short series on the questions that decide CISO loops.