What Is a Job Requisition? Definition & Importance Explained

New and inexperienced recruiters might take longer to make a distinctive difference between job descriptions and job requisitions and understand which one starts the process. Both are equally important for recruiting and can't be skipped or replaced with an alternative. 

Fundamentally, every company must start the hiring process by identifying what kind of job role they're targeting, getting C-suite buy-in, and presenting it with an accurate and captivating description. That itself provides a hint on which step comes first and whether you should begin by describing the position or deciding its principal characteristics.

However, there are still doubts and debates on which one initiates the process and how to include the crucial elements in each of them. Because of that, we'll dive deeper into the meaning of job requisition and job description, what makes them different, and which of these two steps should come first. 

Here's everything you should know about it.  

Job Requisition vs. Job Description

What is a Job Requisition?

A job requisition represents a form request that hiring managers and recruiters create and send to decision-makers to make a new job role or position in the company. They typically present requisition in an online form or as a document and must include vital information explaining why employers need it. 

Hence, job requisition encompasses data backing up the urge for a new position and clarifying whether it's a part-time or full-time role. The document also explains if it's permanent or temporary, which helps decide the recruitment process and whether to collaborate with headhunters. 

Hiring managers and recruiters send the job requisition form to the HR leader, team manager, or direct supervisor, depending on who is in charge of making this decision. Job requisition is also the first step in recruitment and talent acquisition.

Only after hiring managers and recruiters get the necessary approval and the job opening is official can they start with the hiring procedure and description writing.

In a nutshell, here's the regular order of recruitment steps:

• Job requisition
• Making the vacancy official
• Identifying candidate selection criteria and hiring method
• Candidate search and attraction
• Applying recruitment methods
• Recruiting decision
• Onboarding
• Recruitment process evaluation

For example, John is the team leader of the sales department in a scale-up startup. Since the company has been growing increasingly fast after the pandemic, his team of four has struggled to keep up with the scope and pace of work.  

Because of that, John decides his employees need reinforcement and reaches out to his manager about hiring additional personnel. His manager tells him to make the request official by filling out a job requisition form. 

John uses the document to explain the need for team expansion, that the job role is full-time and permanent, and that, in ideal conditions, the new employee should start working within one month. He sends the form to his manager and waits one week for the sales department HR business partner to send the official approval. 

The same day, hiring managers and recruiters make an appointment to formalize the job opening and start the recruitment process. One of the vital steps includes writing a concise and compelling job description. 

LEARN MORE: The Complete Guide to Talent Acquisition

What is a Job Description?

A job description is an official document describing an available vacancy in the company. It must be clear, accurate, up-to-date, concise, captivating, and easy to understand. 

Moreover, a job description must clarify the crucial job requirements, responsibilities, duties, experiences, knowledge, and skills needed to perform the designated role effectively. A detailed and informative job description includes insights into how the company measures success in the job role, as that's useful for performance assessments and employee feedback.

Some companies use different terms for job descriptions, such as position descriptions, job specifications, JDs, and job profiles. A good job description must clarify whether the selection process includes candidate testing, working conditions, location, and salary information. 

Job seekers should know if the job role includes significant physical work, whether it's remote, and if they can expect flexibility and work-from-home options. Companies risk not reaching their target audience and hiring incompatible talents without that information. 

For instance, 80 percent of resume problems result from erroneous descriptions of previous jobs. Because of that, recruiters and hiring managers must be careful when writing them and pay attention to details.

RESOURCES: Add hundreds of free and ready-to-use job description templates to your HR toolkit.

The Difference Between a Job Requisition and a Job Description

Surprisingly, some people use these two terms interchangeably and are unsure about the difference between a job requisition and a job description. 

• A job requisition represents an internal printed or online document that HR professionals use to get approval for creating a new job position or role. Typically, managers submit these standard forms to their supervisors or team leaders. The step that follows is starting the recruiting process if a job requisition is approved. 
• A job description represents an internal printed or online document that lists the requirements and nice-to-haves for a new job role or position. It includes the skills, experiences, capabilities, personality, and traits of the ideal candidate and serves as guidance for job seekers. Job descriptions are based on available job openings (which follow after job requisitions). They are typically crafted by recruiters and are the foundations of every job posting.
• A job posting or a job ad is the text companies show to potential job applicants. Although it's typically recruiters who write them, sometimes copywriters take over this assignment to ensure they're concise, captivating, and on-point. It is external content with a sales-y tone, meant to appeal to potential candidates. 

The clarifications above show that every document has a unique role and all serve different purposes despite being connected. But job requisitions, job descriptions, and job postings are all equally important for the recruitment process, and you can't start selecting candidates without them. 

However, one of the main differences between a job requisition compared to others is that the former often doesn't delve into details nor discuss the must-have skills and competencies. After all, that's the point of job descriptions. 

After tackling what makes these terms different, it's time to highlight the crucial elements of a job requisition form. 

The Standard Job Requisition Form

A job requisition has multiple standard elements. Here's the list and clarification of each of them, making it easier to understand the essence of this document. 

• Job title - Managers must include the proposed title for the new job role or position. However, they will only decide on the final name during the formalization of the job opening.
• Department - The next element is the name of the department where the new employee will work (e.g., the marketing department).
• Hiring manager - The manager filling out the job requisition form must include their name or ID. 
• Purpose of the position/role - Clarifying the purpose and need for a new position or job role is crucial and should convince the decision-maker to approve the job requisition. 
• Job requisition reason - If the need for a new role is due to another employee retiring, taking maternity leave, or transferring, managers should state that reason in the form. 
• Compensation range - The manager should determine and share the approximate salary the new employee should receive. This information is essential for the budget and plays a significant role in leaders' decision-making. This element should also include potential bonuses. 
• The job start date - Decision-makers should know when the new employee should start working and how long the recruiting process takes.
• Working hours - The manager must specify whether the role is full-time or part-time and the new employees' working hours. 
• Employment duration - It's necessary to explain how long the new employee should stay in the company and whether their role is long-term or temporary. 
• Contract type - The manager must determine whether the new employee will be a contract worker, a regular, or a freelancer with a flexible contract. This element has a significant influence on the budget as regular employees are entitled to bonuses, paid time off, and perks and benefits. 
• Necessary qualifications - Although most companies don't require this information, some prefer to know the minimum high-level skills and education the new employee should possess and whether the prior experience is beneficial. 
• Approximate budget - Companies often want to know whether they can afford a new employee, how much the entire recruiting process would cost, and how much they must invest in their employment. Suppose they're undergoing a challenging financial period. In that case, they will likely be more rigid about the job requisition and require more details about the role and the positive impact it could make. 

Do Modern Companies Still Nurture a Linear Process in Recruitment?

As mentioned before, a job requisition typically comes first, and most companies have nurtured that approach for decades. However, things are changing, and many businesses have encountered various challenges in the past three years.

That made them more selective and hesitant in their decision-making. As a result, many companies no longer rely solely on job requisitions to decide whether they should approve a new job opening. 

Instead, they want to know additional information, understand the benefits, and understand how each role contributes to a company. Hence, the linear process in recruitment might not be everyone's preferred approach. 

Some team leaders and supervisors will want at least a brief job description to accompany a job requisition. They might expect managers to define and catalog all positions, including compensation range, qualifications, elementary skills, and experiences. 

In some companies, this decision may also depend on their applicant tracking systems (ATS). For instance, if the structure allows managers to start the requisition and nudge HR teams to reach out and discuss the job description and role, including a job description could be a way to streamline the process. 

Moreover, startups and small firms may be more flexible in this regard, as they rarely follow strict administrative procedures and processes. Instead, their decision-making depends more on the type of job applicants they can attract. 

Indeed, that leaves hiring managers and recruiters without a clear answer on what comes first - a job requisition or a job description. It depends on a company and its processes, which is why you must discuss this matter with your team leader and supervisors first. 

But regardless of what has priority, certain tools can make creating job requisitions and job descriptions easier. Here's what you can use to make this task smoother.

How to Create a Job Requisition and Job Descriptions More Efficiently?

Use an Applicant Tracking System

A SaaS-based ATS allows you to activate the job requisitions feature, share the form with designated team members, edit documents together, track the status of each job requisition, and manage these forms in accessible and easy-to-navigate menus. 

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LEARN MORE: Best Recruitment Tools for SMBs to Hire in 2023

Prepare Thoroughly

You must prepare thoroughly to build a persuasive case for your job requisition. Determine why you must create a new job role or position. 

Is it an increased workload, a retiring team member, or is your department growing? Understand the impact of the new position on your team's productivity and dynamics. 

Present enough proof and reasons for managers to make it an easy decision and get their approval. Ensure they can set clear KPIs and metrics to visualize the benefits of the new role and whether it helps meet business needs.

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Research

Research the market and determine the skills and experiences your new employee needs. Compare that data to similar positions. 

Ensure your managers can find similar job postings on employment sites to understand job applicants' expectations and how that impacts the company budget. 

Job requisitions and job descriptions are essential for a recruiting process, and you can't start looking for new employees without them. And although it's up for discussion which one comes first in this day and age, using SaaS cloud-based solutions streamlines both. 

Check out Manatal ATS and CRM to discover how these platforms can simplify this process in your company. Try our Free Trial and make a job requisition such an easy task that it will no longer matter whether that or a job requisition should come first.