How to know you’re a real-deal CSO — and whether that job opening truly seeks one
How to know you’re a real-deal CSO — and whether that job opening truly seeks one
Publish Date: 2026-03-04 02:02:00
Source Domain: www.csoonline.com
As many firms have different job architectures, title standing may also be dependent on the organization, their size and market segment, and overall functions and responsibilities of an IT security professional, Wald explains. Generally speaking, titles should be based on more commonly held competitive benchmarks in the market.
“Usually, when entering into a role, IT security professionals are aware of the title that they are pursuing. It would be contingent on the hiring company to maintain the consistency of the role’s functions rather than evolve into a function that isn’t reflective of the initially stated title and tasks,” Wald says.
To ensure that an employer and a CSO candidate are on the same page, Wald says the security pro “should be encouraged to speak to other immediate team members and partner stakeholders in product strategy, operations, business, finance, and legal teams — to gain insight and perspective on the prospects, needs, roadmap, and related touchpoints to help come to a consensus on the viability of that opportunity.”
How CSOs can be sure they’re the ‘real deal’
IT security leaders can know you’re the real deal when the business seeks your counsel on non-security issues and you are comfortable being challenged regarding other business decisions, Breckenridge explains.
“When a business unit leader asks for your input on a new market entry or an M&A deal because they value your risk-adjusted perspective, you’ve arrived,” Breckenridge says. “You also know you’re ready when you can comfortably accept ‘informed risk’ and feel like you’re fine signing off on a known vulnerability because the business value of a launch outweighs the technical debt.”
