Should I Involve Non-Technical Stakeholders in Cybersecurity Interviews?

Understanding the role of non-technical stakeholders in cybersecurity hiring

Involving non-technical stakeholders in cybersecurity interviews is generally beneficial for creating a well-rounded hiring process. While technical expertise remains paramount, non-technical stakeholders bring valuable perspectives on team fit, communication skills, and cross-departmental collaboration potential. The ideal approach involves carefully selecting relevant stakeholders, preparing them adequately for their role in the interview process, and establishing clear evaluation criteria that balances technical assessment with cultural and soft skills evaluation. This collaborative approach ultimately leads to more successful hires who can navigate both the technical and interpersonal aspects of cybersecurity roles.

Cybersecurity roles have evolved beyond purely technical positions. Today’s security professionals must collaborate across departments, communicate complex concepts to non-specialists, and align security initiatives with broader business objectives. This evolution has made the involvement of non-technical stakeholders in the hiring process increasingly valuable.

Non-technical stakeholders—such as HR professionals, department managers, and C-level executives—bring unique perspectives that technical interviewers might overlook. They assess candidates on dimensions like cultural fit, communication abilities, and collaborative potential—qualities that significantly impact a security professional’s effectiveness within an organisation.

The question isn’t really whether to involve non-technical stakeholders, but rather which ones to include and how to structure their participation for maximum benefit. A thoughtful approach balances technical assessment with broader organisational considerations, creating a more holistic evaluation process.

Why should you include non-technical stakeholders in cybersecurity interviews?

Including non-technical stakeholders in cybersecurity interviews provides multiple benefits that enhance your hiring decisions. These diverse perspectives help identify candidates who not only possess technical prowess but can also thrive within your organisation’s unique culture and structure.

The most compelling reasons to include non-technical stakeholders are:

• Diverse perspectives: Non-technical interviewers evaluate candidates through different lenses, uncovering strengths and potential concerns that technical interviewers might miss.
• Cultural fit assessment: They can better gauge how candidates will integrate with the company’s values and work environment.
• Communication skills evaluation: Security professionals must explain complex concepts to non-technical audiences—having those audiences in the interview provides a real-time assessment of this critical skill.
• Cross-departmental collaboration potential: Security teams work closely with nearly every department. Non-technical stakeholders can assess how effectively candidates might partner with their teams.

When candidates demonstrate they can build rapport with various stakeholders during interviews, it often indicates they’ll be effective collaborators once hired. This interpersonal effectiveness can be as crucial to success as technical capabilities in today’s interconnected security landscape.

Which non-technical stakeholders should be involved in the process?

Selecting the right non-technical stakeholders for cybersecurity interviews requires strategic consideration of who will interact most frequently with the security team and who can best evaluate crucial non-technical skills. The most valuable participants typically include:

• HR professionals: They bring expertise in evaluating soft skills, cultural fit, and can ensure consistency in the hiring process across roles.
• Department managers from collaborating teams: Leaders from IT, compliance, legal, or operations who will regularly work with the security team can assess collaboration potential.
• C-level executives for senior roles: When hiring security leaders, involving executives helps evaluate strategic thinking and business alignment.
• Potential team members: Including future colleagues provides insight into team dynamics and daily working relationships.
• Project or product managers: They can assess how candidates approach project work and cross-functional communication.

The key is to limit participation to stakeholders who bring genuine value to the assessment process. Including too many interviewers can create a cumbersome experience for candidates while offering diminishing returns on evaluation quality. Aim for a focused group of 3-5 diverse stakeholders who collectively represent the working relationships the new hire will navigate.

Remember that the specific stakeholders will vary based on the seniority and nature of the role you’re filling. A CISO candidate might meet with board members, while a security analyst might interact with IT support team representatives.

How do you prepare non-technical stakeholders for cybersecurity interviews?

Proper preparation of non-technical stakeholders is essential for conducting effective cybersecurity interviews. Without adequate briefing, these participants may struggle to evaluate candidates meaningfully or might focus on irrelevant criteria.

Start by holding a preparation session that includes:

• Explaining the role’s requirements and how they align with business objectives
• Defining specific evaluation criteria for non-technical stakeholders to focus on
• Providing a list of structured questions that reveal the qualities they should assess
• Offering background on typical cybersecurity career paths and experience to establish context
• Clarifying what they should not assess (technical qualifications beyond their expertise)

Create an interview guide with clear, role-appropriate questions for each stakeholder. For instance, HR might focus on career progression and motivations, while department managers might explore collaboration examples and communication style. Ensure these questions complement rather than duplicate the technical assessment.

After interviews, implement a structured feedback process where all stakeholders contribute insights based on their assigned evaluation areas. This prevents the tendency to over-index on technical abilities while neglecting critical soft skills and cultural considerations.

With thorough preparation, non-technical stakeholders can make valuable contributions to your cybersecurity recruitment process, helping you identify candidates who will succeed in your organisation’s specific environment.

What are the potential challenges of involving non-technical stakeholders?

While involving non-technical stakeholders brings substantial benefits, it also introduces certain challenges that require careful management. Being aware of these potential pitfalls helps you develop strategies to mitigate them.

The most common challenges include:

• Knowledge gaps: Non-technical stakeholders may misinterpret technical responses or be impressed by technical jargon without understanding the substance.
• Scheduling complexities: Coordinating interviews with busy stakeholders from different departments can extend hiring timelines.
• Inconsistent evaluation criteria: Without proper guidance, different stakeholders may apply vastly different standards to candidate assessment.
• Overemphasis on likability: Some non-technical interviewers might prioritise personal rapport over more relevant qualities.
• Potential for bias: More interviewers can introduce more opportunities for unconscious bias to affect hiring decisions.

To address these challenges, implement a structured interview process with clear evaluation criteria for each stakeholder. Provide context about the role’s technical requirements without expecting non-technical interviewers to assess technical depth. Use a weighted scoring system that appropriately balances technical and non-technical factors based on the role’s needs.

Consider using panel interviews where technical and non-technical stakeholders participate simultaneously for some portions of the process. This approach can reduce scheduling issues while allowing interviewers to build on each other’s questions.

With thoughtful planning, these challenges can be managed effectively, allowing you to gain the benefits of diverse perspectives while maintaining an efficient and fair hiring process.

How can you balance technical and non-technical assessment in interviews?

Creating the right balance between technical expertise and non-technical qualities in cybersecurity interviews requires a structured approach that gives appropriate weight to both dimensions. This balance ensures you hire candidates who can excel technically while also thriving within your organisation’s unique environment.

Effective strategies for achieving this balance include:

• Developing a competency matrix that clearly defines both technical requirements and soft skills needed for success
• Creating a multi-stage interview process where technical and non-technical assessments occur in separate sessions
• Using practical exercises that require candidates to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Implementing scenario-based questions that evaluate how candidates would collaborate across departments
• Establishing weighted scoring that reflects the relative importance of various factors for the specific role

Consider structuring your process to begin with technical screening to ensure baseline competencies, followed by broader evaluations of team fit, communication skills, and business understanding. This sequence prevents investing time from non-technical stakeholders in candidates who lack fundamental technical qualifications.

Remember that the appropriate balance varies by role. A security engineer might need to be weighted more heavily toward technical skills, while a security manager would require greater emphasis on leadership, communication, and strategic thinking abilities.

Document your evaluation criteria clearly and review them after each hiring cycle to refine your approach based on the performance of new hires. This continuous improvement process helps optimise your balance of technical and non-technical assessment over time.

Key takeaways for involving non-technical stakeholders in cybersecurity hiring

Involving non-technical stakeholders in cybersecurity interviews strengthens your hiring process when implemented thoughtfully. The key to success lies in strategic stakeholder selection, thorough preparation, and a structured evaluation framework that balances technical expertise with broader organisational fit.

To implement this approach effectively:

• Select stakeholders who will directly interact with the security team or who bring valuable perspective on critical non-technical skills
• Prepare participants thoroughly with role-specific guidance and structured questions
• Define clear evaluation criteria that complement rather than duplicate technical assessment
• Create a weighted scoring system appropriate to each role’s specific requirements
• Gather feedback from all participants in a structured format to inform hiring decisions

When executed well, this collaborative approach leads to hiring security professionals who not only possess the technical capabilities to protect your organisation but can also effectively integrate with your culture, communicate across departments, and align security initiatives with business objectives.

At Iceberg, we’ve seen how this balanced hiring approach leads to more successful placements and longer retention of cybersecurity professionals. Our global network of specialists can help you implement effective hiring practices that identify candidates with the complete skill set needed for success in today’s complex security environment. If you’re looking to enhance your cybersecurity recruitment process, contact us to learn how our expertise can support your specific needs.