Job Requisitions - A Complete Guide

An employee might have left. Your current team members may have too much on their plates. You might have to expand your team to meet business goals. Or, you might need a new strategic role within your team. Your reasons to make that new hire may be aplenty.

But before you get busy writing JDs and letting the world know about this new vacancy, pause and take a step back. You might want to write a ‘Job Requisition’. But, what exactly is a job requisition?

What is a job requisition?

A job requisition is an internal document raised by the hiring manager to request a new hire. It is the first essential step and serves as a foundation for the hiring process. It contains crucial information, including the type of role, salary band, budget, job description, employment type, start date, etc., to help recruiters source quality candidates and make the right hiring decision.

After writing a job requisition, the hiring manager sends it for approval to the HR and concerned department heads. Post-approval, the actual hiring process begins. Typically, job requisitions are part of any Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) You can create them from pre-built templates and get them approved in no time,

Difference between job requisition, job description, and job posting

The terms job requisition, job description, and job posting are often used interchangeably. But, they are different documents and convey different meanings.

JOB REQUISITION	JOB DESCRIPTION	JOB POSTING
A job requisition is an internal document that justifies the need for hiring a new person into the team/organization. Well-written job requisitions help in getting internal stakeholders' buy-in and approval.	A job description is also an internal document that summarizes the roles and responsibilities of a position. Further, it contains the required qualifications, skills, must-haves, and nice-to-haves for the job. Job descriptions are part of job requisitions.	A job posting or job advertisement is what appears on career site and job boards. Recruiters or copywriters write the job posting in an enticing manner to attract potential candidates. It also highlights the benefits of the role and company culture.

JOB REQUISITION

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB POSTING

A job requisition is an internal document that justifies the need for hiring a new person into the team/organization. Well-written job requisitions help in getting internal stakeholders' buy-in and approval.

A job description is also an internal document that summarizes the roles and responsibilities of a position. Further, it contains the required qualifications, skills, must-haves, and nice-to-haves for the job. Job descriptions are part of job requisitions.

A job posting or job advertisement is what appears on career site and job boards. Recruiters or copywriters write the job posting in an enticing manner to attract potential candidates. It also highlights the benefits of the role and company culture.

What does a job requisition form contain?

Here are some of the key elements of any job requisition form:

Job title: It’s the job title/designation for which you’re hiring
Department: The name of the department, project, or team you’re hiring for
Hiring Manager: The name of the hiring manager who is raising the requisition. This person is in charge of making the hire
Requisition Type: There are two types of requisition - New and backfill. A new role is the first time a company is introducing that role. Backfill is when you are trying to find a replacement for an existing, but recently vacant role.
Number of Openings: The number of vacancies that you are hiring for
Employment type: The position that you’re hiring for can be of several employment types such as full-time employment, part-time employment, contract, internship, temporary, seasonal, etc
Business Case for Hiring: This is the most important field of a job requisition. You have to justify why you’re hiring for this position. You’ll have to put considerable thought into it and be as elaborate as possible. Explain how this position will impact the organization’s business goals and KPIs
Qualifications: Provide high-level qualifications required for this role. It can be an educational degree, years of experience, technical skills, or even soft skills
Salary Range: Specify an approximate salary band for the role. Any joining bonus should also find a place here
Budgeted / Non-budgeted: Mention whether the role is budgeted for or not. Budgeted job requisitions get approved easily
Start date: An expected start date for the role. You can backtrack your hiring process accordingly
An updated Job Description: Attach a detailed description containing the roles and responsibilities for this position

Why is a job requisition important?

A job requisition is not just an internal document used for getting approvals. It serves a larger purpose. Following are some of the reasons why organizations of all sizes must invest some time in writing a job requisition:

Justification

Job requisitions justify the need for a particular role within a department. It allows the hiring manager to analyze and substantiate the impact of that role in achieving business goals. Job requisitions also give an idea of what an ideal candidate for the role looks like and what problems can be solved by hiring a candidate for that role

Clarity

Incorporating job requisitions into the hiring process provides clarity to the recruiters about the type of role, educational qualifications, salary range, etc. Having this clarity makes it easier for the recruiters to source quality candidates based on the job requirements and answer the candidates’ queries during the hiring process.

Virtual paper trail

Documenting and maintaining job requisitions provide a clear paper trail of the various roles within an organization. A hiring manager or a recruiter can go back to it anytime to find out what a particular role entails and how that role has evolved. Job requisitions help a great deal during HR Audits as well.

Outsourcing

If you are outsourcing your recruitment to external vendors, it becomes a cumbersome task to communicate all the specifics to those in charge. This is where job requisitions come to your rescue as they contain all the finer points required to source the right candidates.

Measuring Recruitment KPIs

Job requisitions play a vital role in measuring recruiting KPIs and building transparency across the HR department. You can analyze how long it takes to hire for a particular position, measure applicants’ quality and quantity, and calculate hiring costs.

Tips to write a killer Job Requisition that’ll get approved easily

Do your homework and research

Before you start writing your job requisition, do your homework. Try to find out the answer to these questions:

What work/project will the new position have the most impact on?
What will happen if the position remains unfilled?
How has the role evolved over time?
What are the essential skills and qualifications required for this role?
What is the average salary in the market for this position?

Write a compelling business case

The main purpose of writing a job requisition is to convince the higher authorities, HR manager, and finance manager on why you need to hire for a particular position. So, be as thorough as possible. Incorporate the organization’s business goals and explain how the role will create an impact. Also, explain the negative consequences if the position is not filled. And most importantly, try to create a sense of urgency of why the position should be filled sooner rather than later.

Get stakeholders involved early

Collaborate with HR managers, department supervisors, and your team members to get them on board. Make it a team effort. This will make the approval process a lot easier and expedite the entire process.

Emphasize on outcomes

Paint a clear picture of what a successful hire can accomplish in this position. Highlight both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the role. Define clear goals and KPIs for 90 days, 150 days, and even one year. This will help the decision-makers understand what to expect from the role, thus making the approval process smoother.