The supervisor is often the first person to sense a gap in their team. This is because the workload becomes hectic and meeting deadlines is challenging. This will force them to communicate their problem to the HR department for a solution. Most companies have a specified procedure to use when such a need arises. Today, we’ll know What is a Job Requisition?
A job requisition is a document used to ask for additional labor in a department or company. It is also referred to as an employee requisition, personnel requisition, or a request-to-hire. This document is prepared in advance by the HR department either as a manual or online form to be filled by authorized personnel. Let’s review the contents of this document and its relevance to the company as a whole.
Sections in a Job Requisition
Reference Number
This provides the job code for the vacant position. These codes are generated using various methods such as filing systems or HR systems. They are useful for identification and record-keeping. They help to order and classify the document. This improves their accessibility when required since they are easily located in storage whether manual or electronic. An example of this code is “Ref. No: HR/JR/2021/08/FIN087”.
Requisition Date
This refers to the date the request is being made by the approved personnel or hiring manager. Date formats vary according to the preference in the department or company. For instance, year/month/date or date/month/year
Position
This is the title or the name of the job that is vacant in a specific department or company. It helps identify the exact post that is available. It is a quick reference for the duties and responsibilities required. It reveals the level of the position in the department or company structure. For instance, security officer, branch manager, accountant, and driver
Department
This refers to a division of the company which is identified by the area of specialization and/or responsibility. A company has several types of departments. These departments are integrated in order to meet company goals. Each department gives its specialized service to either internal or external stakeholders and/or customers. They contribute to the smooth flow of operations in the company. For instance, administrative department, finance department, HR department, and ICT department
Hiring Manager
This is the person authorized to make job requests in a given department. This function is reserved for the supervisor, team leader, or head of the department. The hiring manager identifies a need and comes up with justifications to fill the vacant role in their department. They are in charge of operations in that department and are also conversant with the needs of the company’s strategic plan.
Contract Type
This refers to the terms of engagement related to the vacant position. These terms vary according to duration, working hours, compensation, and benefits. This package is offered to the most successful candidate for consideration upon completion of the hiring process. For instance, part-time, full-time, casual, temporary, permanent, and contractual
Contract Duration
This is the period of time the employee is required to offer their services to the company. It is based on the terms of engagement provided in the contract document. It specifies the day the employee should first report to work (start date) and the last working day when they cease to be employees (finish date). For instance, “this contract is effective from date/month/year to date/month/year”.
Working Hours
This specifies the time period that the employee is expected to work on a particular day. It also includes breaks taken during designated hours such as tea breaks or lunch breaks. The standard working period per day is normally eight hours. For instance, depending on the contract type, the working hours can be 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (full day) or 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (half-day).
Remuneration
This is the payment package associated with the vacant position. It may be in form of wages or salaries depending on the contract type. Wages are paid on a daily or weekly basis while salaries are paid on a monthly basis. In some cases, it will include other benefits such as medical cover, insurance cover, and bonuses.
Reasons for Recruitment
These are the justifications compiled by the hiring manager on the need to fill the vacant position. They provide his observations concerning the current situation in his department. They include goals, objectives, and challenges faced in the absence of particular personnel on his team. For instance, “the additional casual is needed to assist in the arrangement of furniture and decor for the annual general meeting. The guest list increased from 1,000 to 1,500 persons which the current team is unable to manage. This is a temporary staff with no implications on the payroll as their wage is catered for under the event’s budget”.
Qualifications
This refers to the academic and professional background needed to perform the functions associated with the vacant role. It depends on the department’s specialization. For instance, a finance department will require accounting or auditing professionals.
Number of Employees
This is the number of employees required to undertake duties that are pending in a department. Sometimes only one employee will suffice while in other cases they could require more than ten. This depends on the reasons for recruitment. For instance, if a new branch of the company has been set up, massive recruiting will be done. If it is a replacement of an employee who has resigned, only one person is needed.
Budget
This refers to the resources required to meet the hiring needs and to execute the hiring process. For instance, the remuneration cost is multiplied by the number of hires, the advertising costs, and the interview costs. All these need to be identified and budgeted for in advance. This will help both the finance and HR departments make informed decisions as they approve the requisition.
Special Instructions
These are additional guidelines that the hiring manager may want to communicate to the approval officers. This is because they may not be physically present during the approval process especially if the process is automated. For instance, the hiring manager may have some preferences and indicates them as male candidates preferred, female candidates preferred or bilingual ability added advantage.
Approval Section
This consists of the names, titles, and signatures of the approval officers in order of hierarchy or seniority. The form will finally end up in the HR department for execution depending on whether or not it has been approved by all the officers required. These approvals may include the hiring manager, supervisor, department head, finance department, executive department, and HR department.
Importance of a Job Requisition
Initiates Recruitment
The job requisition puts the hiring process in motion. It reveals a gap in the workforce which helps in HR planning and the entire hiring process. The HR department is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the process starts and ends within the stipulated time to avoid operational and recruitment crises.
Hiring Needs
As the job requisition is completed by the hiring manager or supervisor, they are coming up with hiring needs. This process allows them to identify and prioritize hiring needs in their department. This in turn creates awareness with other relevant managers in the company. The HR department and executive are able to plan for the current and future needs of the company.
Strategic Alignment
The job requisition and its approval process help departments remain within the requirements of the corporate strategy. It will reveal whether or not the department is deviating or complying with the overall corporate strategy before the recruitment plan is developed. This gives room for adjustments and prevents wastage of company resources.
Job Advertisement
The job requisition acts as a guide in the development of a job advert. It provides all the relevant requirements for the person needed to fill the vacant position. It also summarizes the terms of engagement for the vacant position.
Budget Allocation
The job requisition facilitates the approval of financial resources from the accounts department. Accountants always require formal documents to issue money from the company to employees or departments. The job requisition also provides a breakdown of how the money will be used which is important to the accountants and executives. This ensures proper utilization and tracking of company resources.
Reference Material
The job requisition acts as reference material for current and future undertakings. It is a factual document with approval signatures. This enhances transparency and accountability in the hiring process. It shows that the process was authentic.
Documentary Evidence
In case of current or future disputes, the job requisition can be used for reprieve. The HR department can fall back on this document to prove that they initiated the recruitment process appropriately. It also assists the finance department during budgetary allocation since several levels of management approved the hiring process. Issuing finances without approval is often a bone of contention in companies.
HR Recruitment Guide
The job requisition directs the HR department during the planning and implementation of the recruitment strategy. The department uses this document to develop budgets and contracts, identify recruiting techniques, and even set appropriate deadlines for each stage. This makes their work easier and faster which improves their turnaround time and performance.
Checks and Balances
The job requisition ensures that the correct procedures and policies are followed before hiring personnel. This prevents unethical behavior in the company such as corruption and nepotism. It also ensures that all the authorized personnel is aware of activities in the company. It protects the reputation and resources of the company through a formalized approval process.
Standardization
The job requisition helps with quality assurance and management. It ensures that all departments conform to policies and procedures during the hiring process. All departments are subjected to the same level of standards. This creates uniformity in all areas of the company’s operations.
How to Implement a Job Requisition
Needs Analysis
Identify and prioritize the current and future demands of the department. Determine whether the job description should remain the same or be adjusted to accommodate future changes.
Justification
List and explain each need that you have identified. This helps to elaborate the reasons for recruitment. Ensure that the goals, objectives, and challenges are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.
HR Meeting
Book an appointment to facilitate discussion with the HR manager. Present your problem clearly and concisely so that you obtain the appropriate assistance. If the justifications are acceptable to them and it’s purely a recruitment problem, they will advise you to submit a formal request. If not, other alternatives will be provided.
Complete the Job Requisition
Access and fill in the form with the required details. Some forms are manual; hence you will need to collect them from the HR department. Other forms are electronic; hence you will need to access the HR system online. Fill in all the requirements and follow any instructions or notes included as footnotes.
Approvals Process
Submit the form as per the required procedure to facilitate approval with relevant officers and managers. In some cases, you may be summoned to give more details in order to clear the process. Always have your facts ready in these circumstances.
Submission to the HR department
Return the duly filled and approved document to the HR department for processing if it is a manual form. Electronically filed and approved forms are programmed to prompt HR for action.
Feedback
The HR department or relevant person will get back to you within the specified waiting period.
Conclusion
Due to quality assurance requirements, most company operations have to be formalized to ensure transparency and accountability. This has created the need for companies to have proper documentation in each of their departments in order to remain compliant. The hiring process is a major function of the HR department. It is the backbone of any company and must be carefully undertaken to prevent risks. For this reason, documents have been developed to protect company interests and guide the employees.
The job requisition is one of the very important documentation in the HR department. It is a document that facilitates the ordering of an additional employee in a department or company. This document is a form with various sections that need to be filled by the user and approval officers. The importance of this document in company operations cannot be underestimated. Most importantly, it offers checks and balances in the hiring and financial processes. In order to use it appropriately, designated steps have been highlighted.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the other name for the job requisition?
It is also referred to as employee requisition or personnel requisition
- What is the difference between manual forms and online forms?
Manual forms are printed copies of a document stored in file cabinets while online forms are screen copies of a document stored in software systems
