A Job Requisition is a formal internal document or request submitted by hiring managers or department heads to the Human Resources department or recruiting team, seeking approval to fill a vacant position or create a new role within the organisation. This document initiates the formal recruitment process and serves as both an authorisation mechanism and a detailed specification outlining the position’s requirements, reporting structure, compensation parameters, and justification for hiring.

Purpose of having job requisition

Workforce planning alignment

Job requisitions ensure that hiring decisions align with organisational strategic objectives, budget constraints, and workforce planning initiatives. They provide a structured mechanism for evaluating whether new hires support business goals and departmental priorities.

Budget control and authorisation

Requisitions serve as financial control mechanisms, requiring appropriate approvals before committing to salary expenses, benefits costs, and recruitment expenditures. This process helps organisations maintain budgetary discipline and prevent unauthorised hiring.

Compliance and documentation

Formal requisition processes create audit trails for hiring decisions, supporting equal opportunity compliance, internal controls, and regulatory requirements. They document the legitimate business need for each position and the decision-making process.

Resource allocation efficiency

By requiring detailed justification and approval, requisitions help organisations allocate human resources efficiently, preventing duplication of roles and ensuring optimal utilisation of available positions and budgets.

Communication and coordination

Requisitions facilitate communication between hiring managers, HR teams, and senior leadership, ensuring all stakeholders understand position requirements, timelines, and expectations before recruitment commences.

Core components of job requisition

Position identification details

Essential information including job title, department, reporting relationships, employment type (permanent, temporary, contract), location, and unique position identifiers for tracking and reference purposes.

Role justification and business case

Detailed explanation of why the position is needed, including business impact, workload analysis, organisational changes, or strategic initiatives driving the hiring requirement. This section demonstrates the legitimate business need for the role.

Position requirements and specifications

Comprehensive description of required qualifications, skills, experience levels, educational requirements, certifications, and any special requirements such as travel, physical demands, or security clearances.

Compensation and benefits parameters

Salary range, pay grade, bonus structures, commission arrangements, and benefits eligibility. This information guides recruitment strategies and ensures offers align with organisational compensation frameworks.

Timeline and urgency indicators

Expected start date, recruitment timeline, priority level, and any critical deadlines that may influence recruitment strategies or resource allocation decisions.

Approval hierarchy and signoffs

Required approvals from immediate supervisors, department heads, finance teams, and senior leadership, with clear indication of approval authority levels and delegation arrangements.

Budget and cost centre allocation

Specific budget allocation, cost centre codes, funding sources, and any temporary or permanent budget adjustments required to accommodate the new position.

Types of job requisition

Replacement requisitions

Requests to fill positions vacated by departing employees, including permanent resignations, retirements, terminations, or internal transfers. These typically require less justification as the role’s necessity is already established.

New position requisitions

Requests to create entirely new roles within the organisation, requiring comprehensive business case development, budget approval, and organisational structure consideration. These often involve more complex approval processes.

Temporary or contract requisitions

Requests for short-term positions, seasonal workers, project-based roles, or contractor engagements. These may have expedited approval processes but require clear end dates and scope definitions.

Internal transfer requisitions

Requests to move existing employees between departments, locations, or roles, which may involve salary adjustments, reporting changes, or skill development requirements.

Promotion-based requisitions

Requests related to employee promotions that create backfill needs or require role restructuring, often involving multiple position adjustments within the same approval process.

Emergency or urgent requisitions

Fast-track requests for critical positions requiring immediate attention due to unexpected departures, business emergencies, or time-sensitive opportunities.

Bulk or mass requisitions

Large-scale hiring requests for multiple similar positions, often related to business expansion, seasonal demands, or new facility openings, requiring special handling and approval procedures.

Requisition workflow and approval process

Initial request submission

Hiring managers complete requisition forms with all required information, supporting documentation, and preliminary approvals from immediate supervisors before formal submission to HR or centralised recruitment teams.

HR review and validation

Human Resources teams review requisitions for completeness, policy compliance, budget availability, and alignment with organisational hiring guidelines. This may include verification of job descriptions, salary benchmarking, and approval authority validation.

Financial approval and budget verification

Finance teams or budget owners verify funding availability, approve salary parameters, and confirm appropriate cost centre allocation. This step prevents unauthorised spending and ensures financial controls.

Senior management authorisation

Depending on position level, salary thresholds, or organisational policies, requisitions may require approval from senior leadership, executive teams, or board-level authorities for final authorisation.

Legal and compliance review

For certain positions, legal teams may review requisitions to ensure compliance with employment laws, visa requirements, regulatory obligations, or contractual arrangements with clients or partners.

Final approval and activation

Once all required approvals are obtained, the requisition is activated, triggering commencement of recruitment activities, job posting creation, and assignment to recruiting teams or external agencies.

Integration with recruitment processes

Job posting and advertisement creation

Approved requisitions provide the foundation for creating job postings, determining advertising strategies, selecting appropriate job boards, and developing recruitment marketing materials.

Sourcing strategy development

Requisition details inform recruiting teams about required sourcing channels, candidate profile targeting, recruitment timelines, and specialised search requirements for hard-to-fill positions.

Screening and selection criteria

Requisitions establish baseline qualifications for candidate screening, interview processes, assessment methods, and decision-making criteria throughout the selection process.

Offer development and negotiations

Compensation parameters and position details from requisitions guide offer development, salary negotiations, and terms of employment discussions with selected candidates.

Onboarding preparation

Requisition information helps prepare onboarding processes, workspace allocation, equipment procurement, and integration planning for new hires before their arrival.

Requisition technology and automation 

Applicant tracking system integration

Modern requisition processes often integrate with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), enabling seamless transition from approval to job posting, candidate management, and hiring workflow automation.

Workflow automation tools

Digital platforms automate approval routing, notification systems, deadline tracking, and status updates, reducing administrative burden and improving process efficiency.

Mobile accessibility

Mobile-friendly requisition systems enable managers to submit and approve requests remotely, supporting flexible work arrangements and reducing approval delays.

Analytics and reporting capabilities

Technology platforms provide insights into requisition volumes, approval timeframes, cost-per-hire metrics, and recruitment performance analysis for continuous process improvement.

Integration with HRIS systems

Requisition systems often integrate with broader Human Resource Information Systems, enabling automatic budget updates, organisational chart adjustments, and employee data management.

Approval authority levels and delegation

Position-based approval thresholds

Organisations typically establish different approval requirements based on position level, with higher-level roles requiring more senior approvals and more comprehensive justification.

Salary-based approval limits

Approval authority often correlates with salary levels, with higher compensation packages requiring more senior authorisation and additional financial scrutiny.

Department-specific delegation

Some organisations delegate certain approval authorities to department heads or regional managers for standard positions within their areas of responsibility.

Emergency approval procedures

Special procedures for urgent requisitions may include temporary approvals, expedited review processes, or alternative approval paths to maintain business continuity.

Seasonal or volume-based modifications

During peak hiring periods or large-scale recruitment initiatives, organisations may modify approval processes to accommodate increased requisition volumes without creating bottlenecks.

Quality control and compliance for job requisition

Standardisation and consistency

Formal requisition processes ensure consistent information collection, standardised approval procedures, and uniform documentation across all hiring decisions within the organisation.

Audit trail maintenance

Requisition systems maintain comprehensive records of all approval steps, decision rationales, and process timelines, supporting internal audits and compliance reviews.

Equal opportunity compliance

Proper requisition processes help ensure hiring decisions are based on legitimate business needs and qualifications rather than discriminatory factors, supporting diversity and inclusion objectives.

Budget compliance verification

Regular review of requisition processes helps identify budget overruns, unauthorised hiring, or deviations from approved workforce plans and financial controls.

Policy adherence monitoring

Requisition workflows enforce compliance with organisational hiring policies, procedures, and governance requirements, reducing risks and ensuring consistent application.

Job requisitions performance measurement and metrics

Time-to-approval tracking

Monitoring the time required for requisition approval helps identify bottlenecks, improve process efficiency, and set realistic expectations for recruitment timelines.

Approval rate analysis

Tracking requisition approval and rejection rates provides insights into budget planning accuracy, workforce planning effectiveness, and manager preparedness.

Cost-per-requisition metrics

Analysing the administrative costs associated with requisition processing helps optimise resource allocation and identify opportunities for process improvement.

Conversion rate monitoring

Measuring the percentage of approved requisitions that result in successful hires helps evaluate recruitment effectiveness and requisition quality.

Cycle time optimisation

Monitoring total time from requisition submission to candidate start date helps identify improvement opportunities and establish realistic hiring timelines.

Best practices for effective requisitions

Comprehensive role analysis

Conduct thorough analysis of position requirements, including skills assessment, workload evaluation, and market research before submitting requisitions.

Clear business justification

Develop compelling business cases that clearly articulate the need for the position, expected outcomes, and alignment with organisational objectives.

Realistic timeline setting

Establish achievable timelines that account for approval processes, recruitment activities, and candidate availability while meeting business needs.

Collaborative development

Involve relevant stakeholders, including HR business partners, finance teams, and senior leadership in requisition development to ensure accuracy and buy-in.

Regular process review

Continuously evaluate and improve requisition processes based on feedback, performance metrics, and changing organisational needs.

Training and support

Provide comprehensive training for hiring managers on requisition completion, process requirements, and best practices to improve submission quality.

Technology leverage

Utilise appropriate technology solutions to streamline processes, improve accuracy, reduce administrative burden, and enhance reporting capabilities.