Requisition closed usually means that a formal request has been marked inactive or completed in the system handling it. The phrase appears most often in hiring, where a job requisition is an employer’s request to recruit for a position, and in purchasing, where a requisition requests goods or services. It is a plain status phrase, not a special idiom or slang expression. Its exact consequence depends on the organization and software: a closed hiring requisition may have been filled, canceled, or otherwise taken out of active use, while a closed purchase requisition may have reached the end of an internal process. The phrase alone does not explain why the record was closed or what happens next.
What the Words Mean
Requisition is a standard English noun and verb. As a noun, it means a formal request, especially one made through an organization’s procedures for a person, supply, service, or resource. As a verb, to requisition means to make such a request, or, in some contexts, to demand or take something for official use. The noun came into English through French from Latin requisitio, related to requirere, meaning to seek or ask for. Closed is the ordinary past participle of close, used here to describe a record or request whose active process has ended.
Together, requisition closed is a grammatical status label: a noun followed by a past participle. It is not a fixed dictionary definition with one universal administrative meaning. Organizations may use variants such as closed requisition, requisition has been closed, or simply closed on a dashboard. The surrounding system and the type of request tell you what the status refers to.
What It Means in Hiring
In recruitment, a job requisition is an internal record authorizing or organizing a hiring need. It may identify the role, department, location, number of openings, and approval details. When the requisition is marked closed, the employer is generally no longer treating that particular hiring request as active. The record may be closed after someone is hired, if the employer withdraws the opening, if the need changes, or for another internal reason.
Do not assume that closed means the job was successfully filled. Employers and applicant-tracking systems can use statuses differently, and the label may not show the reason. It also does not automatically tell an applicant whether they were rejected. A posting may stop accepting applications before every interview or internal step is complete; conversely, a candidate may receive a separate decision while the requisition remains open for other applicants or openings.
There can also be a difference between a requisition and a job advertisement. The requisition is the underlying hiring record; the advertisement is the public listing connected to it. A listing disappearing from a careers page can mean it is no longer being advertised, but that alone does not establish whether the internal requisition was filled, canceled, or closed for another reason.
What It Means in Purchasing
In procurement, a requisition is commonly an internal request to obtain goods or services. It may be reviewed for approval and, if authorized, used to begin a purchasing process. A status of closed means the requisition record is no longer active in that workflow, but the precise stopping point depends on the organization’s rules and software.
Closing a requisition is not necessarily the same as receiving an order, completing a service, or paying an invoice. A purchase requisition is generally distinct from a purchase order: the requisition requests or seeks approval for a purchase, while a purchase order is a later purchasing document sent to a supplier. A closed requisition might have led to a purchase order, been canceled, or been closed after a change in plans. Check the linked order, receipt, or invoice record rather than treating the requisition status as proof that every downstream step is finished.
How a Requisition Gets Closed
There is no single closure sequence shared by every employer or purchasing department. A typical workflow has a request created, reviewed, and either approved or declined; an approved request may then be acted on and eventually closed. The person or team authorized to update the record, and the conditions that trigger closure, are organization-specific.
Common reasons a hiring requisition may be closed include:
- The employer hired for the opening and no longer needs that requisition.
- The team canceled, postponed, or changed the role.
- The opening was replaced by a new requisition with different details.
- The employer stopped accepting applications or ended that recruitment process.
For purchasing, closure may follow cancellation, completion of the request’s intended workflow, or another administrative decision. These are possibilities, not a universal list of system rules. If the reason matters, look for a status history, closure note, or guidance from the department that owns the record.
How to Use the Phrase
Use requisition closed when reporting the status shown in a system or describing a request that is no longer active. In ordinary prose, a complete sentence often sounds clearer with an article and a verb: The requisition is closed. For example: The recruiter told me the requisition is closed, so the company is no longer considering applications for that opening. That sentence reports the status; it does not claim the role was filled.
In an internal note, a concise label can be appropriate: Status: requisition closed. If you know the reason, include it accurately: The requisition was closed after the department canceled the opening. If you do not know the reason, do not imply one. In a purchasing message, you might write: The requisition is closed in the system; please confirm whether a purchase order was issued. This separates the known record status from the unresolved question about the next step.
What to Check If You See This Status
The most useful next step depends on whether you are an applicant, a hiring manager, or someone tracking a purchase. First identify which requisition the message concerns and where the status appears. Then check whether the system provides a reason, date, owner, or related record.
- If you applied for a job: Check your application account and email for a separate decision or instruction. If the outcome is unclear, contact the employer’s recruiting contact politely and ask whether the role is still under consideration.
- If you manage hiring: Confirm whether the opening was filled, canceled, or replaced, and follow your organization’s process for any remaining candidate communication or record updates.
- If you requested a purchase: Look for a linked purchase order or a note explaining cancellation or completion. Ask the purchasing team whether another request is needed before resubmitting.
- If you cannot access the record: Ask the system owner or responsible department what its particular closed status means. A label alone may not reveal the underlying reason.
Common Misunderstandings
The biggest misconception is that requisition closed always means position filled. It may mean that, but it can also reflect cancellation, a changed business need, or an administrative decision. Another mistaken assumption is that a closed requisition automatically means an applicant has been rejected. The status describes the request, not necessarily the individual application; look for a direct application update before drawing that conclusion.
It is also easy to confuse the status of a record with the status of the whole transaction. In purchasing, a closed requisition does not on its own prove that goods arrived or that a supplier was paid. In recruitment, a closed internal request does not necessarily tell you whether a public listing has been removed everywhere. Systems can connect these records, but their statuses and meanings are not interchangeable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does requisition closed mean the job is filled?
Not necessarily. The opening may have been filled, but the employer may also have canceled it, changed the role, or closed it for another reason. The status alone does not identify which explanation applies.
Does requisition closed mean I was rejected?
Not by itself. It indicates that the hiring request is no longer active under that system’s status rules. Check for a separate application decision or ask the employer for clarification.
Is requisition closed a standard phrase?
It is a normal, understandable status phrase made from standard English words, not slang. Its general sense is clear, but it is not a universally standardized status with an identical meaning in every organization.
What is the difference between a closed requisition and a closed job posting?
A requisition is generally the internal hiring record; a posting is the advertisement candidates see. They may be linked, but one status does not always explain the other. The employer’s system determines how they are updated.
Can a closed purchase requisition still have a purchase order?
Yes. A requisition may have led to a separate purchase order before the requisition record was closed. Check the linked purchasing documents or ask the purchasing department rather than relying on the requisition status alone.
Bottom Line
Requisition closed means that a formal request has been marked inactive or ended in a particular workflow. In hiring, it usually refers to an opening no longer being active; in purchasing, it refers to an internal request no longer being active in the relevant process. The phrase is standard English, but the exact status definition is local to the organization or software. When the reason or consequence matters, check the associated record or ask the department responsible instead of assuming that closed means filled, rejected, delivered, or paid.