Job Requisitions 101: A Comprehensive Overview
As of March 2023, there were 9.59 million job openings in the U.S., signaling a competitive, strong labor market. Top talent is out there, especially since company layoffs affected many of the large tech giants. Some recruiters say top talent is easier to poach than ever because employees are still determining the future at what historically used to be a stable, secure company. For example, Meta had its first layoffs (and several more rounds followed) since the company was founded, letting go a total of 25% of workers over the last two years. Similarly, other tech giants like Microsoft, Salesforce, Twitter, Amazon, Tesla, and more have let go of skilled staff, resulting in hundreds of thousands of talented tech workers entering the market.
As a result, other companies can snatch up these skilled employees, and job requisition forms are a crucial part of that process. Whether it’s time to backfill a position, hire for a new role, or simply expand the team, a job requisition helps lay out exactly what that need looks like. When a hiring manager decides it’s time to submit a formal request to hire to HR, a job requisition form comes into play.
What Is a Job Requisition?
A job requisition (or “job req”) is a formal request to the human resources department to hire new staff or fill a vacant role. It’s much more than a job posting or a simple outline of skills needed; it’s a comprehensive form that outlines what the next incredible hire looks like. Here is some information that might be included:
- Hiring manager name and title
- Hiring team or department
- Job responsibilities
- Minimal and ideal qualifications
- Reasons for the hire
- Pay and benefits
- Ideal start date
- Position type
Include anything else that ensures the third-party or in-house recruiting team has all the information. After HR and the finance department approve the job requisition, this information forms the basis of the job posting and job description.
What Is the Purpose of a Job Requisition Form? Why Is It Important?
The HR department uses a job requisition form to gather all this critical information from the hiring manager. It communicates the comprehensive needs of the team and is a single source of truth for anyone who needs to see the rundown of this role (i.e., the finance department to approve the budget or the leadership team to approve the job posting). The same job requisition form is used across all positions and teams to ensure that hiring is consistent.
A well-developed job requisition form is important to easily relay all of the job qualifications and reasons for hiring to everyone who needs to know. Here are a few reasons it’s important.
- Budget and hiring approval — the primary goal of a job requisition form is to gain approval from HR to move forward with the hiring process.
- Aligned expectations — with everyone on the same page about the type of candidate needed, the minimum qualifications, and more, unqualified candidates can quickly be rejected from the pipeline. Plus, there is less arguing down the line about different candidates.
- Clear requirements — why are you hiring a new employee? Is it to fill a vacant role or develop an entirely new position? Having clear requirements will make it apparent when a new hire is truly needed and when it’s not, saving the company money in the long run.
What Are the Differences Between a Job Requisition, Job Description, and Job Posting?
A job requisition is often the first formal step in the hiring process. Once approved and/or edited by HR, it forms the basis of the job posting and description.
The job description is the written details of the role’s responsibilities, day-to-day tasks, qualifications, experience needed, and more. This is a critical piece of information for applicants as it helps them decide whether this role is a good fit to apply for or not.
Job descriptions eventually create the online job posting. The job posting is the digital notice that a job is open and ready for applicants. Job postings include the title, salary range, responsibilities, and other job description details. It should be written in an engaging, enthusiastic tone to convey what it’s like to work at the company and might include more information about the overall company.
Tips for Writing a Good Job Requisition
A good job requisition isn’t difficult, but it does take a good amount of thought and planning. Here are a few tips for writing the strongest job req possible:
- Be specific on the type of role — if a team doesn’t need a full-time member, stay cognizant of budget and true need and ask for a part-time or contract position. This will help save the company money and reduce unnecessary full-time staff.
- Review the existing job description — is this role changing? Carefully review the current job description, as this is the perfect time to make changes if necessary. This will clear up any confusion for a new hire and align the internal team on what might be different from this new hire.
Job requisitions can be time-consuming, and it’s often best to work with an expert IT staffing agency to scale up job requisition forms when hiring.
Partner with Advantis Global for Job Requisition
Advantis Global works with top companies, from Fortune 50s to startups, to help support their staffing needs. Our expert team handles writing job requisitions after speaking with each individual business to understand their needs. Outsourcing this task saves time and internal resources and helps create the strongest job req possible, making a valid case for a new hire and laying the groundwork for an excellent candidate.
To hire top talent, work with Advantis Global to reduce time-to-fill to 5 days — instead of the average of 8-12 weeks it takes to replace or hire a new employee. Contact us to learn more about hiring the top 1% of talent through our staffing agency.
