Recruiters typically spell out the skills and requirements they want on a job description, and then seek approval or a job requisition to start the search. “I'd be curious to hear the view of those who think you can approve a requisition without the job description. What's the point?" says David Lewis, president and CEO of OperationsInc, an HR outsourcing and consulting firm. The requisition “is there to show the [company's] leadership the justification for the need. If the job has yet to be defined, then, as a CEO, I cannot legitimately assess the need and approve or deny.”

But Theresa Santoro, director of operations and HR with Actualize Consulting, has a different take. “My belief is that the client manager needs to identify that there is a need and create the requisition first,” Santoro said. “My job thereafter, as a recruiter, is to work with the client to identify what skills are needed.”

Read the full post from the Society for Human Resources Management.