Interview with Shani Kohener, Sourcing & Employer Branding Lead at Tenable
Introduction
From a junior recruiter at a fintech startup to leading Sourcing and Employer Branding at one of today's leading cybersecurity companies - Shani Kohener is one of the people who truly represent the future of recruiting. She lives and breathes Talent Acquisition, is deeply active on LinkedIn, blends data with storytelling, and looks at recruiting far beyond simply "opening and closing roles." For Shani, today's recruiter is half marketer, half strategist - and above all, a very authentic human. In a special interview for our Top HR list, we spoke with Shani about her journey, how she views candidate experience, which skills recruiters will need in 2030, and why it's no longer possible to be "just a recruiter."
So Shani - who are you?
"I'm Shani, and for over a year and a half now I've been leading Sourcing and Employer Branding at Tenable Israel. On one hand, I'm responsible for finding top talent. On the other hand, I own how we show up externally: the messages we share, the candidate experience from first outreach to the end of the process, and even how we stay connected with people after they join."
How did you get into HR and recruiting?
"I've always worked with people - since I was 14. I worked in hospitality and restaurants, and even there I naturally gravitated toward roles involving people, social engagement, and bringing crowds in. During my studies, I realized this was probably my direction. I earned a BA in Labor Studies and Sociology-Anthropology at Tel Aviv University. In my second year, we had a practicum, and that's when I started recruiting at a fintech company - and from there, everything evolved. Many of my classmates went in different directions, but I fell in love with recruiting - with fighting for talent, building selling points around roles, and the strategy behind it all."
You said you "fell in love with recruiting." What made that happen?
"The communication - and the philosophy behind it. By nature, I'm very authentic, direct, and down-to-earth. Recruiting puts me in front of different people from different backgrounds every single day. A big part of my job is adapting to the person in front of me: speaking differently to someone fresh out of the army looking for their first role, versus an R&D Director. The language, tone, and examples are all different. There's no template. It's always personal. That challenge is what made me fall in love with recruiting."
Can you give an example?
"If I'm reaching out to Gen Z, the message has to be shorter, more direct, less 'speech-like.' They consume content fast, so outreach needs to be straight to the point: who I am, why I'm reaching out, and what I have for them. At the end of the day, I try to write messages that I would stop to read if I were on the other side."
You're also very active on LinkedIn. How would you describe your content style?
"I really believe in lightness. A lot of people share data and articles - which is important, but it's not really me. I love accessible, fun content that brings a small smile. A post you scroll past, pause for a second, smile, and feel like you got an authentic behind-the-scenes glimpse. I also feel much more comfortable sharing this kind of content - it's human, real, and not over-polished."
How would you define Talent Acquisition today?
"It's much broader than ever. A strong recruiter needs many selling points:
- •A dynamic, evolving candidate experience
- •Strong Employer Branding - people often apply because of the brand, even before fully understanding what happens inside the company
- •Data understanding - what's happening in other companies, where the market stands
Talent Acquisition today must understand the outside world, do market research, and deeply know their own company culture. It's no longer just about filling roles."
When did you realize recruiters can't be "just recruiters" anymore - they're also brand builders?
"Those roles that are extremely hard to fill. You can see it in the data: pipelines, time-to-hire. At conferences, I often see the same candidates I'd love to bring into our company. So I bring someone from the team I'm hiring for and connect them at the conference. We have a booth, an atmosphere, and our people. Candidates meet someone who might be their future manager or teammate. That face-to-face interaction moves things forward. Even if it doesn't end in a new hire, they leave with a positive impression. That's no longer 'just recruiting.' It's a broader, more strategic view of the entire candidate experience - because that experience is your brand."
Is there still room for purely operational recruiting, without social or tailored messaging?
"Maybe - but it won't last. Today you must understand what candidates want to hear, how to attract them, how to create a meaningful experience. Recruiters who don't use LinkedIn, don't adapt messaging, don't live social - they'll have a much harder time. The market will simply move past them. The market changes constantly. People change. Demand for talent is at its peak. You have to keep adapting."
What skills will recruiters need in 2030?
"First - don't be afraid of data. You need to work with numbers, analyze, measure, and optimize. Especially with AI tools coming in - those who use data well will accelerate and improve processes.
Storytelling - knowing how to explain why someone should join.
Trend awareness - what content works, what pushes candidates away, what draws them in.
Market knowledge - who your direct competitors are, who's in the second and third circle, and which new players are entering.
It's truly half recruiting, half marketing."
Do you see recruiting as sales?
"Yes - in a way. But it's about how you do it. Where do you draw the line between selling and being too aggressive? Candidates need to feel that you genuinely want them, not just what's on their CV. It's a delicate balance between a transaction and a human connection."
A project you're especially proud of?
"In the past year, we've done many Employer Branding projects focused on our Israeli site. The site includes several product groups from startups Tenable acquired over the years, and we're growing fast. We wanted to tell that story externally. We launched new events, joined new platforms, ran online campaigns, and put our strongest people front and center - on feeds, in emails, throughout the recruiting journey.
The goal was for candidates to see the people behind the screen - because in the end, that's what matters most: the people. I'm really proud that in one year we created so much visibility, especially for the Israeli site within a global company.
My manager, Lee Sinai, also completely opened my eyes to the importance of Employer Branding. Before that, I didn't fully understand how central it is to recruiting - and how much impact it creates. Once I learned that, my sourcing approach changed dramatically."
One tip for recruiters at the start of their journey
"Experiment. A lot. I constantly do competitor research. I ask developers to show me messages they get from other recruiters, and I study what works and what repeats itself. If everyone sends dry messages - write a different one. If there's a candidate you really want - it's okay to follow up. That's your job. They understand. This world requires creativity. You need to initiate, think about the next cool idea, and not be afraid to stand out."
A book or podcast that influenced you professionally?
"I really love the book 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.' It reminds me where to invest my energy, what to let go of, and how not to get pulled into background noise. It helps me stay focused - both in life and at work."
Conclusion
Shani Kohener represents a new generation of recruiters: people who understand data, live content, know the market, and see candidates first and foremost as humans. Most importantly, they understand that recruiting is no longer an operational function - it's a strategic growth engine.