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Human Resources Glossary / Job Requisition

Job Requisition

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What is a job requisition?

More formal than an internal memo, more detailed than a vacancy posting: A job requisition is an official request within a company—often issued by a department or hiring manager—to create a new position or fill an existing one.

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It lists various parameters, including:

• Job title and description of responsibilities

• Salary range, working hours, start date, and department

• Name of the individual requesting the hire and whether it is covered by the departmental budget

• Key reasons behind the job requisition, i.e., the benefits of hiring a new employee or creating a new position

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Why are job requisitions important?

A job requisition signals to the company exactly where a department or team requires additional support in terms that are clearly laid out and easy to understand. By making a job requisition an integral part of the overall hiring process, the other steps can be coordinated accordingly. For example, a hiring manager can use the information to decide whether the posting should be advertised internally or externally (or both). It also serves as a strong basis for tailoring a job advertisement to the role, which increases the probability of qualified candidates applying for the position.


In the digital age, job requisitions are also important because they constitute a rich source of data. A new job requisition can be tracked from the point of issue by the hiring or departmental manager through to the moment when an individual is hired for the role. This informs the company’s hiring metrics, enabling recruiters to see the shortest, longest, and average times to hire and keep closer track of the costs involved. This, in turn, gives the company more insight into its annual budget planning for recruiting new hires.

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How to use a job requisition

There are four key pieces of information to include in a job requisition to ensure that it effectively serves its purpose.

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Job description (what)

This covers the same information that is listed in an internal or external job posting. It should contain key details such as the purpose of the role within the context of the organization, the responsibilities and expectations of the applicant, how the applicant can expect to benefit from the position, and the required and preferred qualifications the applicant should have.

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Justification for new hire (why)

A strong reason for hiring a new member of staff or creating a new position makes it more likely that the job requisition will be accepted.

Whether to avoid a bottleneck, eliminate a backlog, relieve the burden on an existing team, or modernize a workflow, the justification should be as solid and detailed as possible.

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Candidate profile (who)

It is important to define what type of individual is being sought for the role. Should they be internal or external? What qualifications do they need? How about soft skills?

What kind of project experience is required? The more information provided here, the more accurate the job posting will be.

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Justification for new hire (why)

A strong reason for hiring a new member of staff or creating a new position makes it more likely that the job requisition will be accepted.

Whether to avoid a bottleneck, eliminate a backlog, relieve the burden on an existing team, or modernize a workflow, the justification should be as solid and detailed as possible.

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Job requisition benefits and what to avoid

A job requisition can be a useful tool in the arsenal of both a hiring manager and a company, not least because:

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  • it tells recruiters exactly which qualifications and skills a candidate should have
     
  • it helps the organization avoid under/overstaffing by understanding where additional support is required
  • it provides a digital paper trail (when used with an applicant tracking system, for example), which provides full transparency in audit situations and ensures compliance with labor laws

  • it enables a company to pursue a policy of internal mobility and hold onto valued staff members who are seeking new challenges in their careers—and who would otherwise look beyond the company to find them

What to avoid

Keep in mind that a job requisition may not be accepted by a department or organization if it does not fit with current requirements, available budget, strategic direction, or internal/external hiring guidelines. This is why it is so important to be specific about the role and the value it provides in the job requisition—the more convincing the text, the higher the chance that the position will be created or filled.

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Best practices

Identifying a gap in the workforce is only the first step. To ensure a job requisition leads to the desired results (a new hire or new position), follow these three recommendations:
 

  • Communication is key: A job requisition is a chance to convince managers, departments, and the company hierarchy exactly why the role is important. Shine a spotlight on the value created and be as specific and context-related as possible.
     

  • Keep a level head when making the pitch. The job requisition should be consistent with the available budget and the job description should accurately reflect the new hire’s responsibilities. Don’t overinflate the position or add duties to attempt to appear more impressive to the job requisition’s audience—this is a recipe for failure (whether during the hiring process or after the successful candidate starts work).
     

  • Above all, keep in mind that a job requisition is not a job post. It’s not enough to simply list what the job entails. This internal document can be the key difference between a team struggling to meet its goals and a well-balanced crew that consistently delivers results on time and within budget.
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Additional information or example

It is recommended to log and manage job requisitions using an efficient applicant tracking system (ATS). An ATS tracks a hiring process from the point when a job is posted through to interviewing candidates, hiring a new employee, and onboarding.

This makes it simple to stay up to date with progress (e.g., by activating alerts), track hiring metrics, and tweak subsequent job requisitions accordingly to make the recruitment process more efficient. This, in turn, has a positive effect on the departmental or company-wide recruitment budget.

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