How a job requisition supports your hiring process
Using a standard job requisition form helps support the overall recruiting process by:
- Creating alignment across departments: Helps ensure human resources, finance, leadership and other departments agree on the need, scope and budget for a role
- Clarifying hiring needs: Clarifies the responsibilities and scope of the role, which can minimize miscommunications during recruitment and onboarding processes
- Supporting better budgeting: Includes compensation details and timelines in a job requisition to support better leadership and HR decisions about hiring budgets
- Streamlining approval processes: Uses standardized job requisition forms to simplify sign-off processes and reduce confusion for hiring managers
- Improving job postings: Creates a clear, accurate job description to attract qualified candidates
- Backing compliance: Keeps a formal record of hiring requests, which might be required by your company policies or industry regulations
10 essential components of a job requisition
Job requisitions should include detailed information that supports the entire hiring process. Creating a job requisition template can help ensure requesters submit consistent and comprehensive information. Here are 10 essentials to include in job requisitions, with examples of each.
1. Job title and department
Job title identifies the position you want to fill, and department pinpoints where in the organization the role operates. Together, they provide immediate context for reviewers, help determine reporting structure and can make it easy to categorize the request for budgeting purposes.
Clear, accurate titles and department listings also help ensure alignment between hiring managers, human resources and executive decision-makers.
Examples of job title and department:
- Human Resources Generalist, HR
- Accounting Clerk, Purchasing Department
- Administrative Assistant, IT Help Desk Team
2. Hiring Manager and requisition date
This section of your job requisition identifies who made the request and when it was submitted. These are basic details to support accountability in the process and prioritization of requisitions based on timing and urgency.
Including the Hiring Manager and date helps track the origin of the request, monitor approval timelines and support documentation trails for budgeting or auditing. It also ensures HR and recruiting have a direct point of contact for follow-ups.
To ensure these details are present, have a required field for entering the requestor’s name on any form. You can have a required date field or generate an automatic date of submission if you’re using job requisition software.
3. Type of positions
The type of position describes the nature of the role you’re requesting. Define whether it’s a newly created role, a backfill for a vacated position or a temporary assignment. This information helps HR, finance and other decision-makers determine whether the position is already part of approved headcount and budget or a change to staffing plans.
Clarifying the type of position helps ensure a requisition supports strategic workforce planning, streamlines budget approvals and avoids duplication of roles and duties across departments.
Examples of types of positions:
- New position to support product expansion
- Backfill for the team member who was promoted to another role
- Temporary assignment for a 6-month project
4. Employment type
This section identifies whether the role is full-time, part-time, temporary or contract. These details are critical for workforce and budget planning, as they determine average total wages, required benefits and onboarding processes.
By clarifying employment type, requesters help HR allocate resources efficiently and ensure job postings for the role are accurate and compliant with any regulations. It also helps set candidate expectations about the role.
Examples of employment type:
- Full-time, salaried position
- Part-time role, 20 hours/week
- Six-month contract position
5. Detailed job description
The job description includes the responsibilities of the position and lists the required skills and qualifications for the role. It serves as a foundation for job postings.
A strong job description ensures alignment between a Hiring Manager and HR regarding role expectations. It can also improve the quality of applicants, as a comprehensive description helps candidates assess whether their skills fit the role.
Examples of job descriptions:
6. Compensation details
Compensation details specify the proposed salary range or hourly rate for a role. You might also include bonus eligibility or commission structure in this section.
Including compensation information helps leadership assess the budget impact of a potential hire and ensures offers remain consistent and equitable. It can also speed up hiring processes by providing a clear benchmark for candidate negotiations.
Examples of compensation details:
- $60,000-$70,000 annual salary, based on experience
- $22 per hour, non-exempt
- $45,000 base salary plus 10% commission
7. Proposed start date
This is the date you want the new hire to begin working. It helps recruiting teams plan onboarding, manage candidate timelines and support internal schedules.
Providing a target start date helps recruiters and HR departments schedule expected work and approval processes to meet that goal. It also forces you to think about key deadlines, like seasonal needs, and when it might be best to bring on a new employee.
While a specific start date, such as April 1, 2026, can drive the most clarity around recruiting, you can also tie start dates to other parts of the process. You might indicate that you want the candidate to start as soon as possible or two weeks after offer acceptance.
8. Interview process overview
This section briefly outlines planned interview processes, including the number of rounds and who should be involved. It might also include assessments or required steps like background checks.
Clarifying the interview process in the requisition helps HR prepare accordingly. It can also speed up candidate scheduling and reduce the chances of miscommunication throughout the process.
Examples of interview process details:
- Two rounds of interviews with the department lead and subject-matter expert team members
- One phone screening followed by an in-person panel interview
- Virtual interview with the Hiring Manager and a technical assessment
9. Business justification for the hire
This part of the job requisition explains why the role is necessary for business purposes. Successful requisitions tie the need to hire to business goals, such as unmet process needs, increased workloads or alignment with broader company objectives.
By providing business-based justification for a role, you improve the chance that your requisition is approved. It also helps ensure everyone within the process considers how a role impacts costs, revenue generation and other critical KPIs.
Examples of business justifications:
- Increase in support tickets requires an additional Help Desk Clerk to maintain service level agreements
- New client contracts create a demand for a Project Manager
- Company expansion in a new region requires localized marketing support in the form of a Marketing Consultant
10. Approvals and sign-off workflow
In this section, you include who must review and approve the job requisition before recruiting can move forward with hiring processes. It may follow a defined sequence, such as Department Manager, HR Manager and Finance Manager.
A documented approval workflow ensures transparency and reduces delays while protecting an organization against unauthorized hires or budget overspending.
If your business uses job requisition or HR software, you can automate workflows for approval to help support compliance and streamline these processes.
FAQs about job requisitions
What is the difference between a job requisition and a job description?
A job requisition is an internal request to open a position. It typically includes a business justification for the role, budget information and approval workflows. A job description outlines the responsibilities and requirements for the role. It’s used to help attract candidates for the position and may be part of the job requisition form.
What is the difference between a job requisition and a job posting?
A job requisition launches the hiring process internally by making a case for hiring. A job is posted after business leaders approve the job requisition.
Who approves job requisitions?
Approval processes vary by organization and depend on your business structure. Typically, numerous professionals, including department leaders, HR leaders and team members from finance and leadership, review job requisitions.
