A job requisition is an internal request to fill a position, approved before anyone posts a job ad. It is where the business case for a hire gets made.
| Field | Example | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Role and location | Line cook, Store 4 | Matches the job description |
| Reason | Replacement, growth or new role | Replacements and growth are reviewed differently |
| Schedule | 35 hours, evenings and weekends | Defines who can apply |
| Pay range | $19 to $21 an hour | Keeps offers inside budget |
| Evidence | Overtime hours, open shifts | Shows the hire is needed |
| Approvals | Manager, finance, HR | Who signed and when |
A restaurant kitchen manager requests two line cooks. Finance asks why. She attaches 8 weeks of time records: the kitchen averages 70 overtime hours a week, mostly evenings and weekends.
EZTime digital HR forms let you send, sign and file employee documents online.
At a $20 base rate, 70 overtime hours cost 70 times $30, or $2,100 a week. Two cooks at 35 hours each would work those 70 hours at straight time, $1,400 a week, a saving of about $700 a week before payroll taxes and onboarding. The overtime vs. new hire calculator gives the same picture with taxes included.
The requisition is approved in two days. Without the hours data it would have joined a queue of requests that all say “we are short-staffed”.
A clear approval path stops requisitions from sitting in an inbox. Most small and mid-sized companies need three signatures at most: the hiring manager, the budget owner and HR. Set a target time for each step, such as two business days, and record the date each person approved so delays are visible.
The pay range on the requisition should be the range you are prepared to put in the offer. A growing number of states and cities require pay ranges in job postings, so check the rule where the job will be posted before the requisition is approved. Matching the requisition, the posting and the offer letter avoids awkward corrections later.
A dental office’s part-time receptionist, 20 hours a week, resigns. The manager’s first instinct is a straight replacement. The requisition form asks for the last 8 weeks of hours, which show the front desk needing cover from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. every day when the full-time receptionist is still on the phones with patients.
The approved requisition is for 25 hours a week, weekday mornings, at the same hourly range. The extra 5 hours cost about $110 a week at $22 an hour, and the morning phone backlog that caused patient complaints goes away.
A requisition is the internal request and approval to hire. The posting is the public or internal ad that follows.
Usually the hiring manager’s manager, finance or the budget owner, and HR. Small companies may only need the owner.
An ID that ties the request to the posting, candidates, offer and headcount reports.
For new roles and, in many companies, for replacing someone who left.
For a small business, a few days is realistic. Setting a target for each approver and tracking dates keeps hiring from stalling.
Yes. It keeps the offer inside budget, and in places that require pay ranges in job postings it helps the posting comply.
Digital HR forms and e-signatures let new hires finish forms from their phone, and the documents land in their digital employee file.