When Should Job Titles Be Capitalized?
Learn when to capitalize job titles before names, after names, in resumes, email signatures, job descriptions, headlines, and formal documents.
Job title capitalization depends on how the title is being used. A professional title can be part of a person's name, a generic description of a role, a heading in a resume, or an official position in an organization. Those uses do not always require the same capitalization.
The most reliable general rule is simple: capitalize a formal title when it directly precedes a person's name as part of the name, and lowercase a generic title when it is used descriptively.
Job Title Before a Name
Capitalize a formal title when it appears immediately before a name.
Examples:
President Maya Chen
Professor Daniel Lee
Director Aisha Khan
Senator Maria Torres
The title functions as part of the person's identification.
Job Title After a Name
A title is commonly lowercase when it follows the person's name and functions as a description.
Examples:
Maya Chen, president of the company
Daniel Lee, professor of history
Aisha Khan, director of marketing
The role is no longer acting as a formal title before the name.
Punctuation and house style can affect presentation, but the capitalization principle is common.
Generic Job Titles
Lowercase ordinary job descriptions.
Examples:
the marketing manager
a software engineer
our chief financial officer
the professor
the president of the association
These phrases describe roles rather than functioning as formal names.
Official Titles
An organization's exact official title can be capitalized when used as a formal designation, especially in documents where the organization treats it as a proper title.
Example:
Chief Financial Officer
in an organizational chart or formal signature block.
In running prose:
the chief financial officer approved the budget
is often lowercase.
Context matters.
Chicago 18 and Personal Titles
The Chicago Manual of Style 18th edition updated guidance for personal titles used before names. It now capitalizes personal titles before a name even when modified by an adjective, such as a former officeholder.
This is an example of why professional writers should check current editions rather than relying on older summaries.
MLA and Professional Titles
MLA guidance commonly aligns with Chicago on professional titles.
A title before a surname can be capitalized:
President Smith
A descriptive title after the name is generally lowercase:
Jane Smith, the president of the college
MLA also recommends consistency when an institution has exceptions.
AP and Job Titles
AP style has detailed rules for formal titles and occupational descriptions. Formal titles before a name can be capitalized, while many job descriptions remain lowercase.
News writing also tends to avoid unnecessary titles when they are not useful to the reader.
If you write for a newsroom, follow the current AP Stylebook and house style.
Job Titles on Resumes
Resumes create a different context because job titles often function as labels.
Example:
Senior WordPress Developer
Local SEO Specialist
Product Manager
Capitalizing these titles in a resume entry is normal because they identify a formal role.
Do not assume that the same capitalization should be used in a sentence:
I worked as a product manager for three years.
Here the title is a generic role description and can be lowercase.
Job Titles on LinkedIn
LinkedIn profiles often capitalize job titles because they appear as structured labels.
Examples:
Senior Software Engineer
Marketing Director
Founder and CEO
A profile headline can also use title case for consistency.
The platform itself does not create a grammar requirement. Use the official title and keep the profile internally consistent.
Email Signatures
Email signatures commonly capitalize official job titles:
Rashid A.
Local SEO Consultant
This is a display label.
In an email sentence:
I work as a local SEO consultant
lowercase is natural.
Job Descriptions
A job posting may use a capitalized title as the heading:
Senior Content Editor
Inside the description:
The senior content editor will work with the marketing team.
lowercase is usually appropriate.
This distinction helps avoid unnecessary capitalization in body copy.
Organizational Charts
Titles can be capitalized in charts and directories because they function as labels.
Example:
Director of Operations
Head of Customer Success
Senior Research Analyst
A style guide can define whether small words such as “of” remain lowercase. Many organizations use title case for role labels.
Is CEO Capitalized?
CEO is an initialism and is normally written in uppercase.
Example:
CEO Maya Chen
Maya Chen, CEO
When written out:
chief executive officer
is usually lowercase in generic prose unless it is an official title used before a name or a formal display label.
Is President Capitalized?
It depends.
Formal title before name:
President Carter
Generic office:
the president spoke at the meeting
In the name of an office or formal institutional context, additional rules can apply.
Do not capitalize “president” every time it appears.
Is Professor Capitalized?
Before a name as a title:
Professor Lee
Generic description:
Lee is a professor of history.
Academic departments and institutions can also have local style preferences.
Is Doctor Capitalized?
As a formal title before a name:
Dr. Patel
or written as Doctor Patel in contexts that spell it out.
Generic profession:
She is a doctor.
Professional credentials such as MD or PhD have their own capitalization conventions.
Job Titles in Headlines
If a job title appears inside a title case headline, the title case rule can capitalize words even when they would be lowercase in running prose.
Example:
What a Product Manager Does Every Day
“Product Manager” is capitalized because the heading is in title case.
Sentence case heading:
What a product manager does every day
The capitalization reflects the heading style, not a change in the job itself.
Government and Military Titles
Government, military, religious, and judicial titles often have detailed style rules.
Examples:
Senator Lopez
General Adams
Judge Patel
Generic references:
the senator
the general
the judge
The required style can have exceptions, especially for official documents.
A Simple Decision Test
Ask:
- Is this a formal title directly before a person's name?
- Is it a generic description of a job?
- Is it an official display label?
- Is the text a heading using title case?
- Does my organization have a house style?
Those questions resolve most job title capitalization problems.
Related Resources
- Use the Title Case Converter
- Are Seasons Capitalized? Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter Explained
- Are Academic Degrees Capitalized? Bachelor's, Master's, PhD, and More
Frequently Asked Questions
Should “manager” be capitalized?
Usually not in generic prose. It can be capitalized as part of an official job title in a resume, directory, heading, or label.
Should “president” be capitalized?
Capitalize it when used as a formal title before a name. Lowercase it in ordinary generic references unless another style rule applies.
Are job titles capitalized on resumes?
They commonly are because they function as formal labels for positions.
Do job titles become lowercase after a name?
Often yes when they function as descriptive appositives, such as Jane Smith, director of marketing.