2.2: What is a Job Requisition?
The Ultimate Guide: What is a Job Requisition?
But the first step in the process is to create a job requisition.
What is a job requisition, exactly? In this post, we’ll review everything you need to know about job reqs, including:
- What a job requisition actually is
- Why a good job req is so important
- How it’s different than a job description or a job posting
- How to build your own job req so you can start finding (and hiring) qualified candidates
Once you’ve read through this article, you’ll be able to:
- Identify your ideal candidate
- Produce a job requisition that your HR department will approve
- Attract the best talent
Let’s get started!
What is a job requisition?
A job requisition is a formal request recruiters or hiring managers fill out for their company’s HR department to create a new position or to fill a job vacancy.
A job requisition goes beyond just the job description and job title. A good job req also includes relevant information such as:
- hiring manager details
- the department or team that needs the new hire
- justification for a new hire
- job responsibilities
- minimum qualifications
- ideal qualifications
- position type (full-time, part-time, contract, etc.)
- ideal start date
- pay and benefits
- any other details relevant to the job and the company
In other words, it’s the origin of your next great hire.
Once HR authorizes your job req, you can finish up any last details on the job description, get it posted on whatever job board you use, and then begin the recruiting process.
While job requisitions are typically used in businesses with traditional HR methods, companies of any size or industry can utilize them to make great hires.
Why is a job requisition important?
Job requisitions bring efficiency to the hiring process and the business as a whole. Although you know what’s best for your department, it’s always good to get input from knowledgeable colleagues or higher-ups when it comes to major decisions. And hiring an employee involves a process that’s certainly worthy of a second set of eyes.
Filling out a job requisition triggers an inclusive effort that can span multiple parties or departments, including:
- Legal
- HR
- Finance
- Management
Together, the hiring process will get off to a good start and will result in a productive addition to your team. In essence, a job requisition is important because it covers many angles involved in ensuring that it’s indeed beneficial to hire a new employee and that the right person is hired.
Benefits of a job requisition
There are many advantages to using job requisitions when filling a position or creating a new one. The underlying theme among them is that by filling out a requisition, potential issues will surface well before you begin your search for candidates. Here are some of the benefits.
Confirming the Need
Are you sure you need to hire? Can implementing various forms of software and technology lighten the workload of your current employees, thus removing the need? Perhaps you can make do with part-time help?
Putting what you require in writing and reviewing it allows others to confirm or critique your thinking. It brings another level of assurance that you’re making the right decision.
Accuracy of the Position and Required Qualifications
A job req contains a lot of information that needs to be precise. The description of candidate characteristics, duties, and qualifications expected of whoever fills your vacant role must be accurate. Otherwise, you may end up with someone under qualified for the job or not a good fit with your team. Getting input early on will lead to a better job description, a better slate of candidates, and, ultimately, a better hire.
Budget Allocation
A new hire might not fit in your department’s budget. Even if you’re filling a position someone resigned from, the anticipated pay for the new employee might be higher. A job req gives finance and HR notice so they can confirm the funds are actually available in your budget and if they can accommodate you should they not be available.
Legal
There are many legal issues surrounding a new hire. For example, when unions are involved, there may be grounds for a grievance if the future employee will assume responsibilities currently held by an existing employee. HR can help tie up such loose ends or bring matters to an attorney when necessary.
All of these benefits ultimately save your company time and money.
What’s the difference between a job requisition, a job description, and a job posting?
A job requisition is just one part of acquiring top talent. The job description and job posting are also part of the hiring process. While some people use these terms interchangeably, they are actually three different things.
Let’s break down the differences.
Job Requisition
First, a job requisition is a business document that makes a specific request to hire a certain individual for the job described in your company’s job description. A hiring manager submits a completed job req to HR and usually the finance department for approval.
Job Description
A job description is a written account of the prerequisite skills and experience, job responsibilities, and authority associated with a particular position title.
A job description typically include lists of tasks that need to be completed by the employee assigned to that job, as well as any essential qualifications needed for every employee in that position.
Job Posting
A job posting is an online notice that a job opening exists, and it typically includes the job title, responsibilities, and qualifications. This is where you advertise your open job position to potential applicants – either through a website or an email blast to your active job candidates. In most cases, this will also include a link to apply for the position.
Tips for writing a great job requisition
There are a variety of ways to make your new employee request more likely to be authorized, even if most of the information is simple. Keep these ideas in mind as you complete your next job requisition.
1. Determine why you need a new hire
Honestly evaluate your team, your projects, and any gaps in skill or human labor. Ask hard questions about what changes would best improve your team. You need to know if you really do need more employees or if you just need more from your existing employees. These questions can help you determine your justification for a job requisition.
- Why is my team struggling now? Is the workload too high? Are our systems inefficient? Is the current workload temporary or permanent?
- What goals or projects could we achieve with more employees? How could my team better support the company?
- Is my team missing a skill set or experience that could be found in a new type of employee? Or does my team need more people in a similar role?
- If I’m replacing someone, how has the job evolved since we last hired?
- What impact will this role have on the overall team?
As you work through these questions, you will figure out what changes your team needs to succeed. If this includes a new hire, you will also know if they should be temporary, part-time, or full-time. Finally, these questions will help you ascertain the initial job description.
2. Review the job description
While writing a job requisition, you need a general idea for the job description, but it’s okay for the job description to change throughout the process. For now, reflect on these questions as you write the job description.
- Look at the existing job description (if applicable). What is still relevant? What needs to change?
- Think about your ideal candidate. What is their level of experience? Which certifications do they have? What are their skills? How does their personality fit with your team? What else do they bring to the table?
- Determine the minimum qualifications needed for this role. What skills do they need to have already, and what skills can they learn on the job? What certifications do they need (often required by law), and what training can you offer? For example, a medical provider needs specific degrees and licenses, but many IT professionals are self-taught.
- Outline job duties on a daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis. What are the expected outcomes? What are the relevant deadlines?
- Place this role within your existing team. Is this an entry-level position, an executive position, or something else? What will be the reporting structure?
Overall, you want to be both realistic and flexible with the job description.
3. Talk to your team
Feedback from people in your department is always priceless, but even more so when you’re looking to hire a new employee. Department heads and managers see things from a different angle than employees. Your team members might:
Add responsibilities or qualifications to the job description you might have missed
Suggest alternative ways of covering some of the tasks
Request to take over some of the proposed duties
Alert you if someone will feel slighted by the hire and possibly help you do some damage control
You can learn so much from your employees—they have a wealth of institutional knowledge. But even more importantly, by talking to those who work for you, you can gain a different perspective on what you need and how a new addition to the team might affect operations and team chemistry.
4. Take the time to write a good job requisition
Every employee plays an important role in your team and the overall operations of your company. A job req is the foundation of obtaining a vital addition to your workforce. You want to ensure that you actually need that employee, have room in your budget for them, and end up with the right person for the job.
Working diligently and patiently on the job requisition will help you do what’s right for your team and keep them happy. It will also give the others who collaborate with you throughout the hiring process clear, concise information to work with.
Take your time as you work through the facts and details. Doing so will give you the best shot at successfully adding a productive employee who will benefit you and your organization.
While each business will have different needs, typically the job requisition document should include:
- Job Title and Job Code (used to track applications)
- Department
- Hiring Manager
- Job Description (job duties, skills needed, etc.)
- Minimum Qualifications (education, licensing, experience, etc.)
- Justification (reasoning for job req)
- Type of Employment
- Salary Range and Associated Costs (i.e. benefits)
- Union status (if applicable)
The most important thing is to make sure that this document accurately reflects the duties of the open position, as well as your company culture.
Job Reqs Are Vital to the Hiring Process
There are certainly managers out there who wish they could skip the job requisition and just post a position online whenever they want to hire. But the above information should shed light on the importance this document plays.
A job requisition gets the hiring process rolling in the right direction, and a lot is riding on making the right decision about who to hire. When done correctly, a job requisition can smooth a lot of kinks along the way in an otherwise tricky, delicate, complex process and produce excellent results for your company.
Source: The Ultimate Guide: What is a Job Requisition? Jul 31, 2022. Updated July 2024
NOTE: A printable PDF is attached below.