Rescuing Stalled Requisitions: What to Do When Your Req Has Been Open for 90+ Days

Every recruiter has that requisition. You know the one. It's been open since the summer. You've screened 47 candidates. The hiring manager has rejected all of them for increasingly absurd reasons. Your sourcing pipeline has dried up. Everyone's asking when you're going to fill it, as if you're not trying. And you're ready to light your laptop on fire and join a commune.

Stalled requisitions are soul-crushing. But they're also solvable if you're willing to diagnose the real problem and make uncomfortable changes. Here's how to rescue that 90+ day req before it hits six months and becomes a permanent fixture in your dashboard.

Step 1: Diagnose the Real Problem (It's Probably Not What You Think)

Stalled reqs have patterns. Figure out which pattern you're dealing with:

Pattern 1: No candidates applying

• You're getting fewer than 5 applications per week
• Sourcing outreach gets minimal response
• The job board analytics show low views

The real problem: The posting is invisible, unappealing, or both. The market doesn't know about this job or doesn't care about it.

Pattern 2: Applications but no qualified candidates

• You're getting 20+ applications per week
• 90%+ are completely unqualified
• You're screening out almost everyone

The real problem: The job description is attracting the wrong people, the requirements are unclear, or your sourcing targeting is off.

Pattern 3: Good candidates but hiring manager rejects them all

• You've submitted 10+ qualified candidates
• Hiring manager finds reasons to reject each one
• Feedback is vague or constantly shifting

The real problem: The hiring manager doesn't actually know what they want, has unrealistic expectations, or is impossible to please.

Pattern 4: Candidates drop out during process

• You're getting candidates to phone screens or interviews
• They withdraw or ghost before completing the process
• Offer stage never materializes

The real problem: Your process is too slow, the candidate experience is bad, or candidates are getting better offers elsewhere.

Pattern 5: Candidates decline offers

• You're getting to offer stage
• Candidates consistently decline or counter beyond budget
• You're losing people at the finish line

The real problem: Your compensation isn't competitive, your employer brand is weak, or something in the process is turning people off.

Figure out which pattern fits. The solution depends on accurate diagnosis.

Step 2: Run the Numbers to Confirm Your Diagnosis

Pull data to confirm what's actually happening versus what feels like it's happening:

Application metrics:

• How many applications have you received?
• How many are qualified (meet minimum requirements)?
• What's your qualification rate?

If you have 200 applications but only 5 qualified candidates, your targeting or requirements are off. If you have 15 applications total, your visibility or appeal is the problem.

Funnel metrics:

• How many candidates moved to phone screen?
• How many moved to on-site/final interview?
• How many got to offer?

If you're stuck at the top of the funnel (no one moving to screens), your screening criteria might be too rigid. If you're stuck at final interview (no one getting offers), your hiring manager is the problem.

Time metrics:

• Average time between application and phone screen
• Average time between interview stages
• Time from final interview to offer

If these numbers are measured in weeks rather than days, your process speed is killing you. Good candidates aren't waiting around while you schedule the fifth interview round.

Sourcing metrics:

• How many people have you sourced/contacted?
• What's your response rate?
• How many sourced candidates converted to applications?

If you've contacted 100 people and gotten 2 responses, your messaging is bad or the opportunity isn't appealing. If you're getting responses but no conversions to applications, something's off in the pitch or the role.

Step 3: Fix the Job Posting (It's Probably Terrible)

Most stalled req postings are disasters. Be honest: is yours?

Audit your posting:

• Is the title accurate and commonly searched? "Rockstar Ninja Code Wizard" is cute but unsearchable.
• Are salary ranges included? Hiding comp reduces applications by 30-50%.
• Is the requirements list realistic? If you're requiring 47 skills, you're screening out good candidates.
• Does it explain what the person will actually do day-to-day? Generic responsibilities don't sell.
• Is it longer than 800 words? Nobody reads novels. Cut it.

Specific fixes for common problems:

If your posting is invisible: Add the salary range, use standard job titles, optimize for keywords candidates actually search, post to more boards.

If it's attracting wrong candidates: Clarify required versus nice-to-have skills, be explicit about seniority level, remove buzzwords that attract randos.

If it's not converting viewers to applicants: Lead with compelling work/impact, simplify application process, add social proof (team/company awards, growth stats).

If equity/diversity is a concern: Remove unnecessary degree requirements, avoid gendered language, highlight flexible work options, showcase diverse team.

Rewrite the posting. Yes, even if the hiring manager approved it. Present the new version as "testing an optimized posting to increase qualified applications." If it works, the data will justify it.

Step 4: Confront the Hiring Manager (Diplomatically)

If you've submitted multiple qualified candidates and the hiring manager keeps rejecting them, you need to have The Conversation.

Set up a calibration meeting. Frame it as: "I want to make sure I'm finding what you're looking for. Let's review the candidates we've seen and recalibrate on what we need."

Go through rejected candidates one by one. Ask: "Help me understand what was missing here. They had X, Y, Z that we said we needed. What made them a no?"

Listen for patterns:

• Are they nitpicking irrelevant details? ("Their previous companies weren't big enough" when size wasn't in the requirements)
• Are they using coded language for bias? ("Not a culture fit" without specifics)
• Are the requirements shifting? ("Actually we also need blockchain experience" when that was never mentioned)
• Are they comparing to an impossible ideal? ("They're good but not as good as [person who's not available]")

Ask the direct question: "If we saw a candidate exactly like [rejected candidate X] again, would they still be a no? If yes, what specific criteria should I be screening for that I'm not?"

Propose solutions based on what you learn:

If requirements are unclear: Create a scoring rubric together with must-haves, nice-to-haves, and deal-breakers. Get agreement on what "good enough" looks like.

If expectations are unrealistic: Show market data on available talent. "Here's what candidates with these skills command in salary and what companies compete for them. We need to either adjust requirements or budget."

If they're being too picky: Propose they interview the next 3 qualified candidates you submit regardless of reservations, to calibrate what acceptable looks like versus perfect.

If bias is a factor: Implement blind resume review or scorecards that force evaluation on specific criteria rather than gut feel.

Step 5: Fix Your Process Speed

If you're losing candidates during the process, speed is probably killing you.

Map your current timeline:

• Application to recruiter review: ___ days
• Recruiter review to phone screen: ___ days
• Phone screen to hiring manager interview: ___ days
• Hiring manager interview to final round: ___ days
• Final round to offer: ___ days

Total: ___ days

If this is more than 21 days total, you're losing candidates to faster movers.

Specific speed fixes:

Cut interview rounds. Four+ rounds is excessive for 95% of roles. Combine interviews, make rounds concurrent instead of sequential, eliminate redundant conversations.

Pre-schedule interview loops. Hold calendar blocks for candidates who advance rather than coordinating schedules after the fact.

Empower hiring managers to decide faster. Same-day or next-day feedback should be mandatory. "I'll think about it and let you know next week" loses candidates.

Streamline offer approval. Pre-approve compensation ranges so you can extend offers immediately after final interviews without waiting for executive sign-off.

Over-communicate with candidates. Even if the process can't move faster, constant communication ("You're still our top candidate, we're scheduling final round for next Tuesday") prevents ghosting.

Step 6: Fix Your Compensation (Or Get Realistic About What You Can Attract)

If candidates are declining offers or you're not getting qualified applicants, compensation is probably not competitive.

Run a market comp analysis:

• What are competitors paying for this role?
• What do similar candidates command in your market?
• What are your previous successful hires in this role making?

Use Payscale, Glassdoor, Levels.fyi (for tech), or recruiter network intelligence.

Compare your offer to market:

• Are you in the bottom quartile? You'll only attract candidates who can't get better offers.
• Are you at median? You're competitive but not compelling. Expect to compete on other factors.
• Are you in the top quartile? Compensation shouldn't be the issue.

If you can't increase budget:

Get creative with total comp: Can you offer more equity, better bonus structure, sign-on bonus, annual review acceleration?

Sell other benefits: Fully remote, unlimited PTO, professional development budget, interesting work, career growth—these matter when comp is median.

Adjust requirements downward: If you can't pay for senior talent, hire mid-level and train up. If you can't pay market for your location, hire remote in lower cost markets.

Be transparent about the trade-off: "Our budget is $X which is below market, but here's what we offer instead..." Some candidates will self-select in. Most won't. That's fine.

Step 7: Expand Your Sourcing Strategy

If you're not getting candidates, you need to fish in different ponds.

Audit where you're currently sourcing:

• LinkedIn only? You're missing 60% of the market.
• Same job boards you always use? Try niche boards for your industry/role.
• Waiting for applicants? You need to proactively source.

Add new channels:

Niche communities: Industry Slack groups, Discord servers, subreddits, professional associations. Go where your target candidates actually hang out.

Alumni networks: University alumni databases, former company employee networks. These people share context and can be easier to engage.

Competitor talent mapping: Identify companies with the talent profile you need and systematically source their employees. (Ethical but aggressive.)

Referrals with incentives: Increase referral bonuses specifically for this hard-to-fill role. Make it financially worth your employees' effort.

Contract-to-hire: Can't find someone permanent? Hire a contractor and convert them if it works. Removes risk for candidate and you.

Boomerang candidates: Review people who interviewed before but weren't hired or didn't accept. Circumstances change. Reach back out.

Step 8: Consider a Hard Reset

Sometimes a req is so stalled that incremental fixes won't work. You need to blow it up and start over.

Signals that you need a hard reset:

• You've made all the fixes above and it's still not working
• The hiring manager has changed direction 3+ times
• The req has been open 6+ months with no progress
• Organizational circumstances have changed since the req opened

How to execute a hard reset:

Pause the requisition. Take it offline. Stop screening candidates. Use the pause to regroup.

Conduct a full req review meeting with hiring manager, their manager, and HR/recruiting leadership. Questions to answer:

• Is this role still needed?
• Are the requirements still accurate?
• Is the budget still appropriate?
• What's changed since we opened this 6 months ago?

Rewrite everything: New job description, new requirements, new interview process, new salary range if needed.

Relaunch with fresh messaging: "We've redesigned this role based on market feedback. Here's what's new..."

Set clear metrics and timeline: "We're committing to X applications in 30 days, Y qualified candidates in 60 days, hire in 90 days. If we don't hit these, we revisit whether the role is feasible."

Step 9: Know When to Kill the Req

Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is kill a requisition that's never going to fill.

Kill it if:

• The budget is 40%+ below market and can't be increased
• The hiring manager has rejected 20+ qualified candidates for increasingly ridiculous reasons
• The requirements are impossible (10 years of experience with 3-year-old technology)
• The company/team reputation is so damaged that candidates won't consider it
• The role genuinely doesn't need to be filled and is more "nice to have"

How to kill a req without torpedoing relationships:

"Based on the data from the past 90 days, this role as currently scoped isn't attracting viable candidates in our budget range. We have three options: significantly increase budget, substantially reduce requirements, or close the req and revisit when circumstances change. Which makes most sense?"

Put the decision on them. Show the data. Make the trade-offs clear. Let them choose.

If they insist on keeping it open with no changes, document that you've flagged the issues and continue doing your best. But don't kill yourself over an impossible req.

The Mental Health Reminder

Stalled reqs are demoralizing. You feel like you're failing even when the actual problem is unrealistic expectations, bad process, or market realities.

This is important to remember: A req that's been open 90+ days is not a reflection of your recruiting skills. It's a reflection of systemic issues—bad requirements, slow process, insufficient budget, picky hiring managers, tight market, or some combination.

Your job is to diagnose the problem and propose solutions. Your job is not to work miracles against impossible odds.

Some reqs will never fill. That's okay. Do your best, advocate for changes, document what you've tried, and know when to let go.

The req that's been open since July might close next week with the right fix. Or it might be open next July too. Either way, it's not personal.

Now go rescue that stalled req. Or kill it with fire. Both are valid strategies.