Capitalize a job title when it comes directly before a person’s name (“Marketing Director Ana Ruiz”) and when it stands as a display line, such as a resume entry, a signature block or a business card. Lowercase it when it follows a name, stands alone in a sentence or describes a kind of work: “Ana Ruiz, marketing director,” “the marketing director,” “I worked as a marketing director.” That one distinction, title as part of a name versus title as a description, settles most cases.
Key takeaways
- Before a name, as part of the name: capitalize. After a name or alone in a sentence: lowercase.
- A job description is not a formal title. Write “software engineer Lena Park,” lowercase, even before the name.
- Display lines are not sentences. On a resume entry, signature block, business card or LinkedIn headline, capitalize the title.
- In the sentences of a cover letter, lowercase job titles. Capitalizing the exact title of the opening you are applying for is a common exception; choose one style and keep to it.
- Capitalize official department names (“Human Resources”) but not generic references (“the finance team”).
- Abbreviations such as CEO and VP are always capitals. Lowercasing a spelled-out title is correct style, not a slight.
01
The basic rule: before a name, after a name, standing alone
Purdue’s Online Writing Lab puts the rule in one line: capitalize titles preceding names, but not titles that follow names. The Chicago Manual of Style’s editors say Chicago style lowercases a title that follows a name in running text, and the University of Colorado Boulder’s editorial guide says to capitalize formal titles only when they immediately precede the person’s name.
| Use | Right | Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Directly before a name | We met Chief Financial Officer Dana Whitfield. | We met chief financial officer Dana Whitfield. |
| After a name | Dana Whitfield, chief financial officer, approved the budget. | Dana Whitfield, Chief Financial Officer, approved the budget. |
| Alone in a sentence | The chief financial officer approved the budget. | The Chief Financial Officer approved the budget. |
| Before a name, set off by commas | Our chief financial officer, Dana Whitfield, approved it. | Our Chief Financial Officer, Dana Whitfield, approved it. |
| Your own job in a sentence | I am a project manager at Corvane. | I am a Project Manager at Corvane. |
| More than one person | The firm hired four project managers. | The firm hired four Project Managers. |
The fourth row catches many writers. When commas separate the title from the name, the title is a description and stays lowercase.
02
Is it a formal title or a job description?
Capitals before a name are for formal titles, not for every word that says what someone does. The Boulder guide says to use lowercase at all times for terms that are job descriptions rather than formal titles. California State University, Dominguez Hills draws the line this way: formal titles denote a scope of authority, professional activity or academic accomplishment, as opposed to an occupation. In its examples, dean, professor and director are capitalized before a name, while teacher, librarian and coordinator are not.
| Right | Wrong | Why |
|---|---|---|
| We interviewed software engineer Lena Park. | We interviewed Software Engineer Lena Park. | An occupation, not a formal title |
| The panel included Dean Maria Santos and teacher Paul Reid. | The panel included dean Maria Santos and Teacher Paul Reid. | “Dean” is a formal title; “teacher” describes a job |
The boundary is not always sharp. When you are unsure, put the title after the name and lowercase it. “Sam Ortiz, a senior analyst at Corvane,” is correct under every guide cited here.
03
How to capitalize job titles on a resume
A resume mixes two kinds of text. Entry headings are display lines, and Chicago’s editors say that on a résumé, business card, diploma or door plaque the title may be capitalized. Bullets and summaries are running text, where the ordinary rule applies.
| Part of the resume | Right | Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Entry heading | Senior Account Manager, Brightwell Media | senior account manager, Brightwell Media |
| Headline under your name | Senior Account Manager, B2B Software | senior account manager, b2b software |
| Summary sentence | Account manager with eight years in B2B software | Account Manager with eight years in B2B Software |
| Bullet | Trained six new account managers on the renewal process | Trained six new Account Managers on the Renewal Process |
| Reporting line in a bullet | Reported to the vice president of sales | Reported to the Vice President Of Sales |
The habit to break is capitalizing every important-sounding word in a bullet. Skills and fields are common nouns: project management, customer service, financial analysis. Capitals belong to proper nouns such as company names, products and languages: Brightwell Media, Excel, Spanish.
The guide to the work experience section covers the rest of the entry format. If the question is which title to write at all, see changing a job title on a resume.
04
How to capitalize job titles in a cover letter
A cover letter is running text, so the sentence rules apply.
| Right | Wrong |
|---|---|
| I have spent six years as a project manager in health care. | I have spent six years as a Project Manager in Health Care. |
| As a senior analyst at Corvane, I rebuilt the forecasting model. | As a Senior Analyst at Corvane, I rebuilt the forecasting model. |
| I reported to the director of operations. | I reported to the Director of Operations. |
| I reported to Director of Operations Sam Ortiz. | I reported to director of operations Sam Ortiz. |
One case divides writers: the title of the job you are applying for. By the style-guide rule it is lowercase, as in “I am applying for the senior project manager position.” Many applicants capitalize it to match the posting exactly, as in “I am applying for the Senior Project Manager position.” Both are widely used, and neither will be read as an error. What looks careless is switching between them, or capitalizing every other job title in the letter as well.
Two parts of the letter sit outside the sentences. In the salutation, the title stands in for a name and is capitalized by long-standing letter convention: “Dear Hiring Manager,” not “Dear hiring manager.” The guide on how to address a cover letter has more options. And in the signature block under your name, your title is a display line and takes capitals. For the letter as a whole, see how to write a cover letter.
05
How to write job titles in email signatures and on LinkedIn
Signatures, business cards, name badges and profile headings are display formats. The University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts says names and job titles presented on separate lines as a stand-alone item, for example in a signature, may both be capitalized. The Boulder guide makes the same allowance for a title in an address or other display format, even when it follows the name.
Jordan Ellis Senior Financial Analyst Corvane Systems 312-555-0164 | jordan.ellis@email.com
Jordan Ellis Financial Analyst | Forecasting and Budgeting 312-555-0164 | linkedin.com/in/jordanellis
In display lines, capitalize the main words and lowercase short connecting words: Director of Operations, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Head of People. The same goes for the title fields and headline on a LinkedIn profile; these LinkedIn headline examples follow that style.
The body of an email goes back to sentence rules. “I’m a financial analyst with five years in forecasting” is right, and it is what you would write when you email a resume.
06
Departments, abbreviations and other edge cases
| Case | Right | Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Official department name | Dana Whitfield, director of Human Resources | Dana Whitfield, Director of human resources |
| Generic team or field | the finance team; a career in marketing | the Finance Team; a career in Marketing |
| Abbreviated title | the CEO; our VP of sales | the Ceo; our Vp of Sales |
| The same title spelled out | the chief executive officer | the Chief Executive Officer |
| Academic or courtesy title | Professor Chen; Li Chen, professor of biology | professor Chen; Li Chen, Professor of Biology |
Chicago’s editors give the department rule in a single example: in running text the title is lowercase and the department name is capitalized. The Boulder guide adds that generic, shortened references to a department are lowercase.
If lowercase feels disrespectful, it is not. As the Dominguez Hills guide puts it, lowercasing a title does not diminish the rank or credibility of the person or position.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do you capitalize job titles in a sentence?
Only when the title comes directly before a person’s name as part of the name, as in “Chief Financial Officer Dana Whitfield.” Lowercase it when it follows the name, stands alone or describes a role in general: “Dana Whitfield, chief financial officer,” “the chief financial officer,” “she became a chief financial officer.”
Should job titles be capitalized on a resume?
Yes in entry headings and the headline under your name, because those are display lines. No in bullets and summary sentences, which are running text. Write “Senior Account Manager, Brightwell Media” as a heading and “trained six new account managers” in a bullet.
Do you capitalize job titles in a cover letter?
Generally no. Write “my six years as a project manager” and “I reported to the director of operations.” Capitalize a title directly before a name. For the exact title of the opening you are applying for, either style is accepted; pick one and use it consistently.
Should I capitalize my job title in an email signature?
Yes. A signature is a display format, with your name and title on separate lines, and university style guides allow capitals there. In the body of the email, go back to lowercase: “I’m a financial analyst at Corvane.”
Is “hiring manager” capitalized?
Lowercase it in a sentence: “I spoke with the hiring manager.” Capitalize it in a salutation, where it stands in for a name at the head of a letter: “Dear Hiring Manager.”
Do you capitalize department names?
Capitalize the official name of a department, such as Human Resources or the Office of the Registrar. Lowercase generic or shortened references, such as “the finance team” or “the registrar’s office,” and lowercase a field of work, as in “a career in human resources.”
Sources
- Purdue Online Writing Lab: A Little Help with Capitals: capitalize titles preceding names, but not titles that follow names.
- The Chicago Manual of Style Online: Q&A on titles after a name and on résumés: lowercase titles in running text, capitalized department names, and capitals on a résumé or business card.
- University of Colorado Boulder: Editorial style guide, Capitalization: formal titles before names, job descriptions, display formats and department names.
- University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts: Names & Job Titles: titles after a name and titles in signatures.
- California State University, Dominguez Hills: Editorial style guide, Capitalization: the difference between a formal title and an occupation.
Published by Jobbie and last updated on October 6, 2026. This guide is general information for job seekers, not legal, tax or financial advice. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.