Essential Work Sample Exercises for Hiring a Cybersecurity Operations Manager

In the rapidly evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats, hiring the right Cybersecurity Operations Manager is critical to protecting your organization's digital assets. This leadership role requires a unique blend of technical expertise, strategic thinking, team management skills, and the ability to respond effectively under pressure.

Traditional interviews often fail to reveal how candidates will actually perform in real-world cybersecurity scenarios. While resumes and certifications demonstrate knowledge, they don't necessarily showcase a candidate's ability to apply that knowledge when facing an active security incident or managing a team through complex security challenges.

Work sample exercises provide a window into how candidates approach actual job responsibilities, revealing their thought processes, technical capabilities, and leadership style. For a Cybersecurity Operations Manager, these exercises should evaluate incident response capabilities, strategic planning skills, team leadership, and communication effectiveness.

The following work samples are designed to assess candidates beyond theoretical knowledge, focusing on practical application of skills in scenarios they would likely encounter in the role. By incorporating these exercises into your hiring process, you'll gain deeper insights into each candidate's capabilities and identify those who can truly protect your organization's security posture.

Activity #1: Security Incident Response Simulation

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to manage a security incident from detection through resolution. Incident response is a critical function for a Cybersecurity Operations Manager, requiring technical knowledge, clear communication, and decisive leadership under pressure.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a detailed scenario of a realistic security incident (e.g., ransomware attack, data breach, or insider threat).
• Provide the candidate with initial alert information, such as SIEM logs, threat intelligence reports, or a simulated alert notification.
• Include a network diagram and brief description of your organization's critical systems.
• Allocate 45-60 minutes for this exercise.
• Have a senior security professional play the role of a security analyst reporting to the candidate.
• Consider recording the session (with permission) for later review with your hiring team.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the security incident information provided.
• Develop and execute an incident response plan, including:
• Assessing the severity and scope of the incident
• Determining containment strategies
• Delegating tasks to the security analyst
• Deciding what information to escalate and to whom
• Outlining recovery steps
• Document your findings and recommendations in a brief incident report.
• Be prepared to explain your decision-making process and prioritization choices.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the simulation, provide feedback on the candidate's strengths in incident handling.
• Offer one specific area for improvement, such as containment strategy or communication approach.
• Allow the candidate 10 minutes to revise their incident report or response plan based on the feedback.
• Observe how receptive they are to feedback and their ability to quickly incorporate improvements.

Activity #2: Security Operations Strategic Planning

This exercise assesses the candidate's ability to develop a strategic security plan that aligns with business objectives while addressing critical vulnerabilities. It demonstrates their capacity for forward-thinking leadership and resource allocation.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a fictional but realistic scenario about your company's security posture, including:
• Current security tools and technologies
• Team structure and skill levels
• Known security gaps or vulnerabilities
• Budget constraints
• Business priorities and upcoming initiatives
• Provide this information to the candidate 24 hours before the interview.
• Allocate 30 minutes for presentation and 15 minutes for questions.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided materials about the company's security posture.
• Develop a 12-month strategic plan for the security operations team that includes:
• Top 3-5 priority initiatives with rationale
• Resource requirements (people, technology, budget)
• Implementation timeline
• Success metrics
• Potential challenges and mitigation strategies
• Prepare a concise presentation (10-15 slides maximum) outlining your plan.
• Be prepared to defend your recommendations and discuss alternatives.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the strengths of the candidate's strategic plan.
• Identify one area where the plan could be improved or a consideration that was overlooked.
• Give the candidate 10 minutes to address how they would modify their approach based on this feedback.
• Evaluate their ability to adapt their strategy while maintaining a coherent vision.

Activity #3: Security Team Coaching Role Play

This exercise evaluates the candidate's leadership and coaching abilities, which are essential for developing a high-performing security team. It reveals how they would handle performance issues and mentor team members.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a scenario involving a fictional security analyst who has technical skills but is struggling with some aspect of their role (e.g., documentation, communication, time management).
• Prepare a brief performance history and specific examples of the analyst's work.
• Have someone from your team role-play as the security analyst.
• Provide these materials to the candidate 30 minutes before the exercise.
• Allocate 20-30 minutes for the coaching session.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the information about the security analyst's performance.
• Prepare for a coaching conversation that addresses the performance issues while maintaining team morale.
• During the role play:
• Establish rapport with the team member
• Discuss specific performance concerns with clear examples
• Listen to the analyst's perspective
• Collaboratively develop an improvement plan
• Set clear expectations and follow-up mechanisms
• Focus on being constructive and solution-oriented rather than punitive.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on effective aspects of the candidate's coaching approach.
• Suggest one area where their coaching technique could be more effective.
• Ask the candidate to demonstrate how they would rephrase or approach that specific part of the conversation differently.
• Evaluate their receptiveness to feedback and ability to adjust their leadership style.

Activity #4: Security Compliance Gap Analysis

This exercise assesses the candidate's knowledge of security frameworks and compliance requirements, as well as their ability to translate technical findings into business recommendations.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a fictional security assessment report that identifies several compliance gaps related to a relevant framework (e.g., NIST CSF, ISO 27001, PCI DSS).
• Include both technical and procedural findings of varying severity.
• Provide a brief description of regulatory requirements applicable to your organization.
• Give the candidate 45 minutes to review the materials and prepare their analysis.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the security assessment report and compliance requirements.
• Prioritize the findings based on risk level, compliance impact, and remediation effort.
• Develop a remediation plan that includes:
• Top 5 issues to address immediately with justification
• Recommended remediation approaches for each
• Resource requirements and estimated timelines
• Interim compensating controls where appropriate
• Prepare a brief executive summary explaining the compliance risks and your recommended approach in non-technical terms.
• Be prepared to discuss how you would present these findings to senior leadership.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the strengths of the candidate's analysis and communication approach.
• Identify one area where their remediation strategy could be improved or made more practical.
• Give the candidate 10 minutes to revise their executive summary based on this feedback.
• Evaluate their ability to incorporate feedback while maintaining a risk-based approach to compliance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allocate for these work sample exercises?

Each exercise requires approximately 1-2 hours of total time, including preparation, execution, and feedback. We recommend spreading them across different interview stages rather than conducting all in one day, which would be overwhelming for candidates.

Should we use real company data in these exercises?

No, always use fictional scenarios that resemble your environment but don't contain sensitive information. This protects your organization while still providing a realistic context for evaluation.

What if a candidate performs poorly on one exercise but excels at others?

Consider which competencies are most critical for your specific environment. A candidate might compensate for weakness in one area with exceptional strength in another. Use the complete picture from all exercises to make your decision.

How do we evaluate candidates consistently across these exercises?

Create a standardized rubric for each exercise that maps to the key competencies for the role. Have the same evaluators assess all candidates on a given exercise, and conduct a calibration session before beginning the interview process.

Should we pay candidates for their time completing these exercises?

For extensive exercises or those requiring significant preparation, consider offering compensation, especially for final-round candidates. This demonstrates respect for their time and expertise while ensuring candidates from all backgrounds can participate fully.

Can these exercises be conducted remotely?

Yes, all of these exercises can be adapted for remote interviews using video conferencing and collaborative tools. For the incident response simulation, consider using a shared screen or virtual environment to make the exercise more interactive.

In today's complex threat landscape, finding a Cybersecurity Operations Manager who can lead effectively while maintaining technical credibility is challenging. These work sample exercises provide a comprehensive evaluation of candidates' capabilities in real-world scenarios, helping you identify those who will excel in protecting your organization.

By implementing these exercises as part of a structured interview process, you'll gain deeper insights into each candidate's technical skills, leadership abilities, and strategic thinking. This approach leads to better hiring decisions and ultimately strengthens your security posture.

For more resources to enhance your hiring process, check out Yardstick's AI Job Description Generator, AI Interview Question Generator, and AI Interview Guide Generator. You can also find more information about the Cybersecurity Operations Manager role in our detailed job description.

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