Catholic Relief Services Program Manager Interview Questions
& Process

The whole process took about a month from when I applied until the interview finished. It was a panel interview with three people, and they asked about 10 questions in total. The interview lasted for an hour. They wanted to know about my career history, my interests, some technical stuff for the job, how I handle supervision, partnerships, and safeguarding.

I am astonished that a faith-based organization would give their verbal word and rescind an offer. I have a squeaky clean background with excellent references. I was given a verbal offer, and later found out that the offer was rescinded for no real reason, other than the position had gone to an internal candidate. I feel like my valuable time was wasted. I had another offer on the table from another organization and let it go. This was not professional and speaks poorly of the organization. I was given signs throughout the interview process that the culture seems to favor only people who are like them. Unfortunately, as an African-American woman, I believe they felt that I was too high energy, passionate and assertive. I was told that I was "high energy" and would need to be coached if I was in this role. In a time such as this, it's amazing that organizations and hiring managers are not being more inclusive. But, it seems that this hiring manager simply wanted someone who already knew how to fit in and conform to the nature of the organization. This is extremely disheartening that an organization that is meant to serve all types of people would single out those who are not enough like them.

My experience with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) was deeply frustrating and unprofessional. After completing a lengthy interview process, involving five separate interviews, I received a benefits package that seemed to signal positive news. However, without any follow-up, I later found out on my own that the position had been canceled. Despite the significant time and effort invested in the process, there was no communication or acknowledgment from the organization. This lack of transparency, especially from upper management, reflects poor internal coordination and respect for candidates. I would advise caution when considering opportunities with CRS.