Requisition
A formal request that initiates the hiring process for a specific position, documenting the role's requirements, budget approval, and business justification.
What Is a Requisition?
Key Takeaways
- ✓A requisition is the formal document that authorizes hiring for a specific position, including role details, budget, and business justification.
- ✓72% of requisitions require two or more levels of approval before the role can be posted (Greenhouse, 2023).
- ✓The average mid-size company takes 5.2 days to approve a requisition, which directly adds to time-to-fill (iCIMS, 2024).
- ✓Requisitions serve as both an operational trigger and a compliance record, linking every hire back to an approved headcount plan.
- ✓Modern ATS platforms automate requisition workflows, reducing approval time by up to 40% compared to email-based processes.
A requisition (also called a job requisition, hiring requisition, or req) is the formal request that starts the hiring process for a specific position. It's not the same as a job description, though the two are often confused. A job description defines the role: responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations. A requisition authorizes the hire: it documents why the position exists, who approved it, what the budget is, and where the role fits in the org chart. Think of it as the purchase order for a new employee. Before any recruiter starts sourcing candidates, before any job posting goes live, someone in the organization has to say, "Yes, we need this role, and we have the budget for it." That's what the requisition does. In most companies, requisitions flow through a defined approval chain. The hiring manager submits the request. Their director or VP approves it. Finance or HR confirms the headcount and salary budget. Only after all approvals are complete does the requisition become "open" and the recruiting team begins work. This process sounds bureaucratic, and it is. But it exists for good reasons: budget control, headcount planning, and audit trails.
Requisition vs job description vs job posting
These three documents serve different purposes and audiences. The requisition is internal: it authorizes the hire and captures budget, reporting structure, and business justification. It's seen by HR, finance, and the approval chain. The job description is semi-internal: it defines the role's responsibilities, qualifications, and competencies. It's used by recruiters to screen candidates and by hiring managers to evaluate fit. The job posting is external: it's the marketing version of the job description, written to attract candidates. It appears on your careers page, job boards, and LinkedIn. A single requisition can generate one job description and multiple job postings across different channels. Some companies keep the requisition and job description as separate documents. Others combine them into a single form within their ATS. Either approach works as long as the authorization function (who approved this, when, and at what budget) is clearly captured.
Why requisitions matter for headcount planning
Requisitions are the transaction record of your workforce plan. Without them, there's no paper trail connecting an approved headcount number to an actual hire. When the CFO asks how many positions are open, HR pulls requisition data. When finance reconciles the hiring budget at quarter-end, they audit against approved requisitions. When auditors want to verify that every hire was authorized, requisitions provide the documentation. Companies that skip formal requisitions (especially startups and fast-growing companies) often end up with ghost positions, budget overruns, and no reliable way to forecast hiring spend. The discipline of requiring a requisition before recruiting begins keeps headcount aligned with business planning.
Key Components of a Job Requisition
A complete requisition captures everything needed to authorize, budget, and staff a position. Here's what belongs in one.
| Field | What It Captures | Who Provides It |
|---|---|---|
| Job title and department | Official title, team, and business unit the role belongs to | Hiring manager |
| Position type | Full-time, part-time, contract, temporary, or intern | Hiring manager |
| Reason for opening | New headcount, backfill (replacement), org restructure, or temporary project | Hiring manager |
| Reporting structure | Who the new hire reports to and any direct reports they'll manage | Hiring manager |
| Salary range and grade | Approved compensation band, pay grade, and any equity/bonus eligibility | HR compensation / Finance |
| Budget code or cost center | Where the salary expense is charged in the company's chart of accounts | Finance |
| Location and work model | Office location, remote eligibility, hybrid schedule, or travel requirements | Hiring manager |
| Target start date | When the hiring manager needs the new employee to begin | Hiring manager |
| Business justification | Why this role is needed now and what impact it will have | Hiring manager |
| Approval signatures | Sign-offs from required approvers (director, VP, finance, HR) | Approval chain |
Requisition Approval Workflows
The approval process is where requisitions either move efficiently or stall for days. The design of this workflow has a direct impact on time-to-fill because no recruiting activity happens until the requisition is approved.
Typical approval chain
Most organizations use a tiered approval model. The hiring manager submits the requisition. Their direct manager (often a director or VP) reviews and approves or rejects it. For roles above a certain salary threshold, a senior leader or C-suite executive adds a second approval. HR reviews the requisition for consistency with job architecture, pay equity, and compliance. Finance confirms budget availability. In some companies, workforce planning or talent acquisition adds a final review. This chain sounds long, but each step exists for a reason. The manager's approval validates the business need. Finance's approval confirms the budget. HR's review ensures the role is properly classified and compensated. The problem isn't the number of steps: it's how long each step takes.
Why requisitions get stuck
60% of hiring managers say slow requisition approvals delay their hiring timeline (SHRM, 2024). The most common bottlenecks are approvers who don't check their ATS notifications, unclear approval routing ("who's supposed to approve this?"), requisitions that lack sufficient business justification and get sent back for revision, and finance freezes that hold all requisitions regardless of urgency. Companies with email-based approval processes experience the worst delays. An approver misses an email, goes on vacation, or simply deprioritizes it. Meanwhile, the hiring manager waits and top candidates accept other offers.
Best practices for faster approvals
Use your ATS workflow engine instead of email for approvals. Set SLAs: each approver gets 48 hours to act, after which the requisition auto-escalates to the next level. Pre-approve requisitions during the annual planning cycle for forecasted headcount, so only unplanned positions need ad hoc approvals. Create tiered authority: managers can self-approve backfill requisitions below a certain salary level, while only new headcount or senior roles require the full chain. Track approval cycle time as an HR metric and report it monthly. Visibility creates accountability.
How Requisitions Work in an ATS
Modern applicant tracking systems treat the requisition as the core object around which all recruiting activity is organized. Every candidate application, interview, scorecard, and offer is linked to a specific requisition ID.
Requisition lifecycle stages
A requisition moves through defined stages: Draft (hiring manager is building the req but hasn't submitted it), Pending Approval (submitted and waiting for sign-offs), Open (approved, recruiting actively underway), On Hold (paused due to budget freeze, priority change, or internal restructuring), Filled (offer accepted, position closed), and Canceled (role eliminated or no longer needed). Tracking these stages gives HR and leadership real-time visibility into the health of the hiring pipeline. How many reqs are stuck in approval? How many are open but have zero applicants? How many have been on hold for 30+ days?
Requisition templates
Instead of building every requisition from scratch, most ATS platforms let you create templates for common role types. An engineering requisition template might pre-populate the department, approval chain, salary grade, required qualifications, and standard interview process. This saves hiring managers 15-30 minutes per requisition and ensures consistency across similar roles. Templates also reduce errors: pre-set fields mean hiring managers can't accidentally submit a req without a budget code or mis-classify a role's FLSA status.
Types of Requisitions
Not all requisitions are created equal. The type of requisition determines the approval path, urgency level, and recruiting approach.
New headcount requisition
This is a request for a position that doesn't currently exist. It adds to the company's total headcount and requires the strongest business justification. New headcount requisitions typically require approval from the department head, HR, and finance. They should include a clear explanation of why the role is needed, what work isn't getting done without it, and how the hire connects to business objectives. These requisitions take the longest to approve because they represent incremental cost.
Backfill requisition
A backfill replaces an employee who left (resigned, terminated, or transferred to another team). The position already exists in the headcount plan and budget, so approvals are usually faster. However, a backfill is also an opportunity to re-evaluate: does the role still make sense as-is, or should the responsibilities be redistributed or the level adjusted? Roughly 33% of open requisitions are re-postings of previously filled roles (LinkedIn Talent Solutions).
Temporary or project-based requisition
These authorize hiring for a fixed period: a parental leave backfill, a seasonal surge, or a specific project. They're usually funded from a different budget line (project budget vs. ongoing headcount budget) and may not require the same approval chain as permanent positions. The requisition should clearly state the contract duration and whether there's potential for conversion to permanent.
Internal transfer requisition
When an employee moves between departments, some companies require a transfer requisition. This documents the move for headcount tracking, ensures both the sending and receiving managers agree, and triggers any necessary compensation adjustments. Not all companies use formal transfer requisitions, but those with strict headcount management do.
Common Requisition Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Poorly written or managed requisitions cause downstream problems: wrong candidates, budget surprises, and compliance risks.
Vague business justification
"We need more help" isn't a business justification. A strong justification connects the hire to specific outcomes: revenue impact, capacity constraints, or strategic initiatives. Example of a weak justification: "The team is overwhelmed and needs support." Example of a strong one: "Current team capacity supports 200 customer accounts. We have 280 accounts and a 35% churn risk if response times don't improve. Adding one customer success manager would bring the ratio to 140:1, matching industry benchmarks." Finance approvers and senior leaders need to see the math.
Incorrect salary range
Setting the salary range too low means the recruiter wastes time on candidates who will decline the offer. Setting it too high means you overpay or face pay equity issues. Always benchmark the range using market data (Radford, Mercer, Levels.fyi for tech, or your comp team's internal surveys). Some states now require salary range disclosure in job postings, so the range on the requisition may also appear publicly.
Skipping the requisition entirely
In fast-moving companies, managers sometimes tell recruiters to start sourcing before the requisition is approved. This creates real problems: no budget authorization, no audit trail, and potential pay equity violations if the role isn't properly classified. It also puts the recruiter in a difficult position if the hire is later questioned. Best practice: no recruiting activity begins without an open, approved requisition in the ATS. No exceptions.
Outdated requisition templates
Templates that haven't been updated in years may reference old job levels, discontinued departments, or salary ranges that no longer match market rates. Review and update requisition templates annually during the budgeting cycle. Remove inactive cost centers, update salary bands to reflect current market data, and ensure approval chains reflect the current org structure.
Requisition Metrics Worth Tracking
Requisition data is underutilized in most organizations. These metrics help HR teams identify bottlenecks and improve hiring efficiency.
| Metric | What It Measures | Target Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Requisition approval time | Days from submission to full approval | Under 5 business days |
| Requisitions opened vs filled | Ratio of new reqs to completed hires in a period | 80-90% fill rate per quarter |
| Requisition aging | How long open requisitions have been active without a hire | Flag anything open 60+ days |
| Cancellation rate | Percentage of approved requisitions that are later canceled | Under 10% |
| Re-opening rate | How often the same position is re-opened within 12 months | Under 15% (higher suggests quality-of-hire issues) |
| Time from req open to first candidate | Speed of recruiting team response after approval | Under 5 business days |
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a requisition and a job posting?
Who creates a job requisition?
How long should requisition approval take?
Can a requisition be reopened after it's been filled?
What happens to unfilled requisitions at year-end?
Do all companies use formal requisitions?
Written by Adithyan RK