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Q&A for How to Know when to Capitalize Job Titles
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QuestionShould I capitalize a job title in a cover letter?Katherine Kirkinis is a Career Coach and Psychotherapist who has served as a career expert for Forbes, Medium, Best Life, and Working Mother Magazine, and as a diversity and inclusion expert for ATTN and Quartz. She specializes in working with issues of career, identity, and indecision. She has doctoral-level training in career counseling and career assessment and has worked with hundreds of clients to make career decisions through career assessments. She is pursuing a doctoral degree at The University of Albany, SUNY where her work focuses on diversity and inclusion, racism in the workplace, and racial identity. She is a published author and has been featured in academic journals as well as popular media outlets. Her research has been presented at 10+ national APA conferences since 2013.In most cases, you don't need to capitalize the job title in your cover letter.
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QuestionIn a policy or process document, my understanding is that you should capitalize a title if the title is used to refer to a specific person/entity in lieu of using their name and title. Does this apply?DonaganTop AnswererThat's a good rule to follow.
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QuestionDo I capitalize general surgeon, podiatrist and family practice in a resume?Community AnswerIf you are using these titles in headings (for instance, when you list your professional experience), they should be capitalized. When using them anywhere else in the body text of the resume, they should not be capitalized. See Method 3 for more information.
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QuestionI am writing a presentation and refer to several positions in a dealership (for example, dealer principal, sales manager, service manager, etc.). Should these be capitalized?Community AnswerYou shouldn't capitalize them if the titles are in a sentence. But if they are in a column (for example) it is better to capitalize them.
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QuestionDo I capitalize "Attendance Counselor Position" in a sentence, or is it "Attendance Counselor position"?Community AnswerIn a sentence, it should be "attendance counselor position." All three words should be lowercase.
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QuestionI am writing in response to the claims adjuster regarding 1 job posting on the company website. What should I say?Community AnswerWhen you respond to a specific job posting, follow the precedent set by the company when it comes to the capitalization of job titles. If their job description and website capitalize specific job titles when they appear in a sentence, you should, too: "Hello, I am writing to apply for the Claims Adjuster post advertised on Company X's website." If they don't, you should not: "Hello, I am submitting an application for the claims adjuster position recently advertised on your website."
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QuestionDo I capitalize titles if they reference just one person? Example: A lieutenant, selected by the Community and Special Services Division Assistant Chief. Is assistant chief capitalized?DonaganTop AnswererYes, when referring to a specific person or job position. For example, you might say "an assistant chief" but "the Assistant Chief."
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QuestionIs it correct to write "Residential Architect John Smith favors contemporary design," or should it be "Residential architect John Smith favors contemporary design"?Community AnswerI would think this would be un-capitalized (residential architect), an unofficial title as noted above.
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QuestionShould I say Eureka High School teacher Joe Smith or Eureka High School Teacher Joe Smith?DonaganTop AnswererThere's no need to capitalize "teacher." It is not a conferred title, it is a job description.
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QuestionIs King of Rock & Roll capitalized?DonaganTop AnswererYes, because it is a very specialized title and mainly refers to one specific person.
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QuestionDo I capitalize a title that is then abbreviated throughout the document, for example, "Company X's project manager (PM)"?Community AnswerIt is not necessary to capitalize a title that you then go on to abbreviate. However, without knowing the exact context within the document, it's hard to definitively say whether or not you should be capitalizing the title for other reasons. Check Methods 1 & 2 to make sure that you're following the right rule for each job title, keeping in mind that, in most cases, you would not need capitalize them.
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QuestionChief Executive Officer Elon Musk, or chief executive officer Elon Musk?DonaganTop AnswererCapitalize the title because it refers to a specific person by name.
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QuestionI am not capitalizing "roustabout" in a document, but now there is a title being referred to as "Roustabout II." Am I correct to capitalize it only when "II" follows? It looks awkward. Thanks!DonaganTop AnswererThe number shouldn't make a difference. If "Roustabout II" is capitalized, "Roustabout" (with its implied "I") should also be capitalized.
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QuestionShould I say, "I am an article writer, web designer and blogger," or I should capitalize the titles?DonaganTop AnswererNo, leave them uncapitalized.
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Question"Johnny takes the role of President of the Los Angeles Lakers." Should I capitalize "president"?DonaganTop AnswererNo. See Method 2 Step 2 above.
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QuestionIs "ironworkers" capped?DonaganTop AnswererNo. See Method 2 Step 1 above.
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QuestionI am translating a document form Spanish to English, it is a Constitution. Is it correct to write the positions with capital letter follow by the name in a paragraph?DonaganTop AnswererA Constitution would make more frequent use of capitalized position titles than other documents might. If a certain position is deserving of particular respect, you should capitalize its title.
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Question"Company XYZ marketing director Sam Smith demonstrates how targeting is important to your response rates." Should the title be capitalized in this case?DonaganTop AnswererAs the above article explains, there's no need to capitalize that job title. Capitalization might be used to lend added importance to a job title, but that might strike some readers as silly, even ludicrous.
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QuestionIs a title like "business analyst" capitalized?Community AnswerNo, it's a general job description rather than a formal title.
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QuestionIf the job title is inside brackets, do I capitalize that? For example, "I discussed his case with Dr. Khan (consultant hematologist), who..."DonaganTop AnswererNo, don't capitalize. Parentheses or brackets don't make any difference.
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QuestionWhich words would I capitalize when they're a professor?KY_GirlatHeartCommunity AnswerIf you're using professor as a title, you would automatically capitalize the name professor. For instance, Professor Smith, Professor Eleanor Jennings, etc. If you're using professor as direct address (i.e. "Hello, Professor, how are you today?"), that would need to be capitalized as well. If they have any distinguished degrees following their name (B.A., M.D., etc.), those need to be capitalized as well.
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QuestionDo I capitalize BA in Liberal Arts?KY_GirlatHeartCommunity AnswerYes, you always capitalize B.A. Make sure you put periods in between the letters as well.
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Question"I'm a manager" or "I'm a Manager."Iris8989Community Answer"I'm a manager". Manager is a common noun, and it describes a general job title. You can also say "I'm manager", without the article.
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QuestionWhat about using titles in plural? For instance, Deputy Minister but deputy ministers or Duputy Ministers?DonaganTop AnswererPlural job titles should not be capitalized. The general rule is to capitalize a job title only when it refers to one specific person by name. As the above article explains, you could consider capitalizing a job title when you want to lend it significance, as in a resume or job application.
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QuestionIn job descriptions, do I write "Sales Managers report to the Director of Sales" or "Sales managers report to the director of sales"?Community AnswerIf the sentence starts with "sales managers..." then type as follows. "Sales managers report to the Director of Sales". This is because 'sales managers' are plural and unspecified in name, whereas the sentence connotes that there is one Director of Sales, so this is title cased.
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QuestionHello, after reading the very useful information in this link, the description below your "tips" section quite baffled me:"...Peterman is a Private Tutor in Florida..." Shouldn't PT be in lower case?DonaganTop AnswererYes, because "private tutor" is usually a job description rather than a job title.
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QuestionHow do you capitalize titles when two titles precede the name, as "co-founder and executive chairman John Smith"?DonaganTop Answerer"Co-founder" would not usually be capitalized, because it's not typically considered a title. "Executive Chairman" is usually capitalized.
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QuestionWhen writing a series of job positions in an essay would it be "...pursue a career as a firefighter, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or paramedic" or would I also capitalize Firefighter and Paramedic?DonaganTop AnswererNone of those job titles needs to be capitalized. ("EMT" is capitalized because it's an acronym in which each of the letters is pronounced separately, like OK or OMG.)
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QuestionShould this title be capitalized? "John Doe, Legislative Chair, spoke..."DonaganTop AnswererYes, because it is a professional designation attached to a specific person.
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QuestionIs it "I'm the new Psychologist" or "I am the new psychologist"? Provide reasons, please.DonaganTop Answerer"Psychologist" -- like other professions, such as fireman, teacher, doctor, lawyer, etc. -- does not need to be capitalized. ("Doctor," as a professional title when attached to a specific person, is capitalized.)
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