To submit a Catholic Relief Services employment application, use the organization’s online careers portal. CRS accepts applications only through its Oracle-based recruitment site, where you create an account, upload a resume, and apply to a specific open position.1Catholic Relief Services. Careers Postings run from emergency-response field roles overseas to finance, IT, and administrative jobs at the Baltimore home office. The process is straightforward once you know what the portal expects and what to have ready.
Where to Apply
Every CRS opening is listed on the organization’s Oracle HCM recruitment site, reachable directly or through the link on the main CRS careers page.2Catholic Relief Services. CRS Careers You can filter by keyword, location, and job category. Each posting includes a description, required qualifications, and an Apply button at the bottom.
First-time users need to create an account: enter an email address, set a password, and consent to the CRS privacy policy. The system walks you through the remaining steps.1Catholic Relief Services. Careers If you have applied before, sign in with your existing credentials and your prior information carries over.
What to Have Ready Before You Start
Gather the following so the application moves without interruption:
- A resume or CV. The portal can autofill your application from an uploaded resume or from a LinkedIn or Indeed profile, or you can type everything in manually.1Catholic Relief Services. Careers
- A cover letter. It is optional but recommended. CRS notes that cover letters help explain your interest in the role, though recruiters focus mainly on how your resume matches the job description.1Catholic Relief Services. Careers
- Education details. Have full institution names, degree titles, and completion dates on hand. CRS verifies credentials for finalists, and discrepancies can delay or derail an offer.
- Any additional documents you consider relevant, such as writing samples or certifications tied to the role. The portal has an upload slot for these.
You do not need to supply professional references at the application stage. CRS asks for them only if you become a finalist.1Catholic Relief Services. Careers Providing false information can lead to disqualification, or to termination if discovered after hire, so double-check employment dates, job titles, and degree details before submitting.
Do You Need to Be Catholic?
CRS describes its service philosophy as assisting people “based on need, not creed, race or nationality.”1Catholic Relief Services. Careers The careers page does not state that applicants must be Catholic. CRS is a faith-based organization, however, and some positions — particularly those involving Catholic community engagement — reference the agency’s mission and values in their qualifications. Read each posting carefully to see what a specific role expects.
Filling Out and Submitting the Application
Clicking Apply on a posting opens a multi-step form. The fastest route is to upload a resume or connect a LinkedIn or Indeed profile and let the system populate the fields. Review every auto-filled entry. Parsers sometimes scramble dates or misread job titles, and education and certifications often need to be added by hand.
Before you submit, the portal shows a review page where you can verify uploaded documents and entered data. Confirm that your resume and cover letter are legible; file formatting can shift during upload, and PDFs generally convert more reliably than Word documents. After submission the system displays a confirmation and typically assigns a reference number tied to that posting. Save the number in case you need to contact the recruiting team later.
You should also receive an automated email confirmation shortly after submitting. That email is your receipt that the application reached the recruitment database. If the portal feels sluggish or times out mid-application, clear your browser cookies and log back in; long sessions can expire, especially if you step away.
What Happens After You Apply
From the candidate side, the process moves through a handful of stages.
- Resume screening. Recruiters compare your qualifications against the criteria for the role. This first review can take several weeks, particularly for postings that attract a high volume of applicants.
- Testing. Some positions require a skills test or written exercise before the interview stage.
- Interviews. Candidates who pass screening take part in one or more interviews, often by video or phone for international roles. These cover both technical ability and alignment with the CRS mission.
- Reference and security checks. Finalists provide reference contacts at this point. CRS verifies references and runs a security check before extending an offer.3Catholic Relief Services. National Staff Hiring Process Overview
- Offer. A formal employment offer follows successful clearance, with details set by HR before it goes to the selected candidate.
Specialized positions and roles in remote international locations tend to move more slowly. Emergency-response hiring can move faster; CRS’s own guidance notes that some steps may be shortened or skipped during a crisis.3Catholic Relief Services. National Staff Hiring Process Overview
Background Screening
CRS runs background checks on candidates who advance in the process. Because the organization receives federal funding through USAID and similar channels, screenings may include a check against the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals list, which flags individuals and entities subject to U.S. sanctions.4U.S. Department of State. Executive Order 13224 Background checks must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which gives applicants the right to know that information is being reported about them and to dispute inaccuracies.5Federal Trade Commission. What Employment Background Screening Companies Need to Know About the Fair Credit Reporting Act
If You Are Hired: Form I-9
Every new hire at CRS, as with any U.S. employer, must complete Form I-9 to verify identity and work authorization. You present original documents (a U.S. passport alone, or a combination such as a driver’s license plus Social Security card) within three business days of your start date. CRS may use a DHS-authorized remote examination procedure in place of an in-person document check; if so, the employer marks a specific box in Section 2 of the form.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification Have your documents ready before your first day so onboarding is not held up.