Capitalization of Job Titles
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Capitalization of Job Titles
With capitalization of job titles, there are rules and then there is the “rule.” The rules are based on some precedent while the “rule” is based on ego. Let’s go over the rules that have precedent first.
Rule: Capitalize job titles immediately preceding the name when used as part of the name.
Example: We asked Chairperson Leong to join us at the meeting.
Rule: Titles immediately following the name do not ordinarily require capitalization.
Examples:
Ms. Leong, chairperson, will join us at the meeting.
Ms. Leong, chair, will join us at the meeting.
Mr. Hanson, editorial adviser for the Independent Journal, helped draft the article.
Rule: When the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.
Examples:
Mr. Hanson, the editorial adviser, helped draft the article.
The chairperson, Sarah Leong, will join us at the meeting.
Mr. Cortez was the senior managing director of the Baskin Group.
Rule: Capitalize titles in signature lines.
Examples:
Sarah Leong, Chairperson
Craig Hanson, Editorial Adviser
Rule: Do not capitalize titles when used descriptively.
Example: Ms. Leong, who will chair the meeting, is always on time.
“Rule”: The “ego rule” is that you may have to ignore the above rules in real life. If someone in your office (as in your boss) wants his or her title capitalized in all situations, then do so. Generally, the higher in rank someone is in an organization, the more likely his or her title will be capitalized at all times.
Pop Quiz
Correct any errors in the following sentences.
1. Thank goodness for Finance Director, Sam Woo.
2. Sam Woo, our finance director, delivered our third-quarter projections.
3. Sam Woo, Finance Director, delivered our third-quarter projections.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. Thank goodness for Finance Director Sam Woo.
2. Sam Woo, our finance director, delivered our third-quarter projections. (CORRECT)
3. Sam Woo, Finance Director, delivered our third-quarter projections. (CORRECT if the “ego rule” is in effect) or Sam Woo, finance director, delivered our third-quarter projections.
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
Question – is the word “with” to be considered along with “and,” “it,” and “the” to be exempt from capitalization in a heading such as:
“Guarantee Your Future with XYZ Banking”?
Dan, “with” is exempt from capitalization in “Guarantee Your Future with XYZ Banking.”
What is the right way:
I should have done it or
I should have did it
I think the answer is
I would have done it.
Am I correct?
I should have done it.
When dealing with titles the APA Publication Manual states, “Conjunctions, articles, and short prepositions are not considered major words; however, capitalize all words of four letters or more.”
So “with” should then be capitalized, according to this source.
Lindsay, thank you for pointing out the APA recommendation. I’m on vacation so I will check to see what my Chicago Manual of Style has to say when I return.
I look forward to your reply. Maybe you can also shed some light on my confusion over country and state abbreviation rules.
I want to know:
Can you use U.S. or US to represent the United States, does it really matter (NY Times uses both)?
Or, do you only use U.S. as an adjective (U.S. Army) and US when representing the country by itself?
For state abbreviations, the AP Stylebook says to “only use postal abbreviations with full address, including zip code.” But, many publications use those abbreviations without the addresses, probably for style.
NC vs N.C.
WY vs Wyo.
Your thoughts?
I think that the trend will be towards leaving out the periods and using the two letter form for states. I have a hunch that using US will not be far behind. This is more a function of text messaging and email informality plus the post office’s preference for no punctuation than to style rules as dictated by any manuals.
Lindsey, regarding the AP Style Manual’s rule about capitalizing any word in a title like “with” as long as it is four or more letters:
The Chicago Manual of Style doesn’t agree but hedges by introducing the following section with this caveat: Chicago recommends the following rules, pragmatic rather than logically rigorous but generally accepted.
1. Always capitalize the first and last words both in titles and in subtitles and all other major words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and some conjunctions–but see rule 4). 2. Lowercase the articles “the,” “a,” and “an.” 3. Lowercase prepositions, regardless of length, except when they are stressed (“through” in “A River Runs Through It”), are used adverbally or adjectivally (“up” in “Look Up,” “down” in “Turn Down,” “on” in “The On Button,” etc.), are used as conjunctions (“before” in “Look Before You Leap,” etc.), or are part of a Latin expression… 4. Lowercase the conjunctions “and,” “but,” “for,” “or,” “nor.” 5. Lowercase the words “to” and “as” in any grammatical function, for simplicity’s sake…
The standard about capitalizing prepositions of four (or five) letters or more in composition titles is pretty widespread, I believe. It is the stipulated in AP, the New York Times and Grammarist, among others.
Thank you.
To say there is a “standard” regarding capitalization of prepositions is a stretch. We’ve also stretched this discussion too far out of the realm of “job titles.” Please see the second paragraph below the bullet list of Capitalizing Composition Titles: The Lowdown.
Capitalization:
I am confused when to capitalize the following:
“It says in the code.” Do I capitalize the word “code”?
“The council adopted the measure.” Do I capitalize council?
what is the rule regarding these areas of capitalization?
Don’t capitalize “code” or “council” unless you have named it previously and want to ensure that your reader(s) recognize that you’re still referring to the same “code” or “council.”
abbr. are complecated i see what you mean they are just to hard to explain much less remember!argh
In typing a verbatim transcript, titles are not necessarily listed and/or named in a certain way that it’s easy to refer to the rules. Can you please help to shed some light on how to apply these rules in general everyday speech that is written out? For example, I would cap the job title in response to this question: “What is John Smith’s position with the company?” -or- “The last job Mr. Smith held with the company was Finance Director?” What I’ve normally been relying on in these situations is when the question or response is directed at specifically naming a person to a particular title, I will capitalize it. When a position is referenced in general, I don’t cap it. For example, “Who was the supervisor on duty at the time?” -or- “I was trying to get promoted to supervisor.” Do you have any suggestions of ways I can relate these types of situations better to the rules?
You are bringing up the difficulty with capitalization: many of these rules are “rules of thumb.” Your strategy regarding job titles is a widely accepted practice that shouldn’t cause dispute.
In further thought, I have another instance I’d like to ask about. I type full transcripts, so it gets confusing. It will probably be easier to give an illustration rather than try to explain what I’m asking without it. Here goes:
“What is John Smith’s title?”
“Department Supervisor.”
“Who do you report to?”
“John Smith.”
“When the incident happened, what did you do?”
“I went directly to the supervisor.”
“Would that be John Smith?”
“Yes, he is my supervisor.”
In the instance that he is speaking specifically about John Smith when he is saying supervisor, would supervisor be capped?
I would not capitalize “supervisor” in that last line of dialogue because it is not part of a title. It is debatable whether “supervisor” in the second line of dialogue should be capitalized. “Department” must be capitalized only because it is the first word of the quote.
I’m watching a debate on a popular blog or Blog about the capitalization of the word Blog. Spell check appears to want the word to be capitalized in the text of a paragraph when talking about or referencing a blog.
What do you think?
The tendency, with technology, is to capitalize words such as “Website” (or Web site), Internet, and Blog until the nouns become part of the vernacular. At that point, we tend to stop capitalizing. I think that “Blog,” which is short for “Web log,” will soon not be capitalized just as many people no longer capitalize “website.”
When did it become incorrect to capitalize titles which refer to specific individuals? Other sources say it is correct to write, “the President is onboard Air Force One,” but your site says it should be, “the president is onboard…” I am 60 years old and was an English major; we were taught to capitalize titles when they refer to a specific person, and of course, to capitalize titles used in conjunction with the individual’s name, e.g., President Kennedy.
I was taught to capitalize the title of a person of high rank, such as President, regardless of whether the name followed. However, the rule changed over the years. (I don’t know when.) The Chicago Manual of Style, which is the authoritative source that I use, states that “president” is not capitalized.
What about meeting names? For instance, the sentences goes as follows:
The issues would be discussed at the School Website Meeting.
The name of the meeting is called School Website Meeting. So am I right in capitalizing ‘Meeting’?
If I am writing a list of job titles in a document, such as,
Dean of Academic Affairs
Director of Human Resources
is it correct to capitalize these specific positions in a company?
Yes.
I often see position announcements that capitalize the title of the position when it appears that they shouldn’t according to the CMS. For example, “The Executive Director will be responsible for…” or “…seeking an Executive Director to…”
Does this fall under the ego rule? When crafting a letter of interest in response to a position announcement, should I follow their lead and capitalize the title in a sentence such as “I recently read the position announcement seeking an Executive Director and I’m interested”?
Which looks better…capitalizing like them even if it’s wrong or sticking to the rules?
Capitalization is a fuzzy area when it comes to rules vs. preferences. Yes, ego plays its part in capitalizing titles like Executive Director in a job announcement. But capitalization should serve this function, so I think it’s fine (and preferable) to capitalize the position title in your response. Good luck in finding your perfect job!
Is the capitalization right in the following sentences?
The Auditors are responsible to the Church Council through the Moderator. Two Auditors are elected to two-year terms on alternate years.
Capitalization has a lot of gray areas. The rule of thumb is to lowercase job titles when not used with names. Therefore, I recommend not capitalizing auditors or moderator. If referring to a specific church council, it should be capitalized.
If a painter paints, and a baker bakes, logically, what does a carpenter do?
We don’t always call people by professional names that are exactly accurate, do we?
Is it necessary to capitalize names of a profession if it is in the middle or end of a sentence?
Examples:
I want to study Zoology. –or– I want to study zoology.
A possibility for my future profession is Zoology.
–or–
A possibility for my future profession is zoology.
A person can’t be a Zoologist if they don’t like animals.
–or–
A person can’t be a zoologist if they don’t like animals.
Should zoology be capitalized or not?
I believe that they are not capitalized but that we begin to think they are because they are found on titles of organizations.
In each of Megan R.’s examples, the words zoology and zoologist are used generically, therefore they are not capitalized.
Is this correct?
Jane is the director of giving and in April she took the additional position of Acting Chief Officer.
Since both job titles are descriptive and are not part of a name, they should not be capitalized.
Jane is the director of giving and in April she took the additional position of acting chief officer.
I do a lot of writing at work, and I often encounter the dilemma of when to cap titles and when not to. Do you agree with these?
Joe Smith, Loss Prevention Manager, resigned. Jack Simpson, Human Resources Director, will hold a conference. Jeremy Hotaling, Zone Director, addressed his staff. Gary Wright, Check-Fraud Investigator, will interview the associate. Karen Lotansky, Manager of Front-End Operations, completed the audit.
BUT: Amy Smith, cashier, stole the money. NOT: Amy Smith, Cashier, stole the money.
Thanks for any help.
Company policies vary, but with few exceptions we do not recommend capitalizing titles that follow a name.
One more, Jane, if you don’t mind. What about police titles? Are these okay?
Mike Fiantino, Police Chief, will resign on Friday. Jack Kolsky, State Trooper, will be assigned the case. Charlie Morgan, Detective Sergeant, will interrogate the witness. Louis Labiento, Police Officer, will issue the warrant. Howard Gates, Niskayuna Detective, will testify on November 15.
Thank you kindly — much appreciated.
What about capitalizing generic titles of departments in a grocery store?
Sal worked in the Seafood Department.
Sal worked in the seafood department.
Joel worked in the Meat Department.
Joel worked in the meat department.
Kathy works in the Deli.
Kathy works in the deli.
Sherman works in the Human Resources Department.
Sherman works in the human resources department.
Thanks.
You have a great site, and you do cover capitalization in depth. I own multiple style guides (and books), and they do not cover this material.
And, one more.
I spoke with Cashier Amy Smith about her tardiness.
I will address the issue with Front-End Supervisor Mary Gonzalez.
I spoke with Janitor Peter Cummings about his lack of detail.
I spoke with Critic Howard Johnson … .
Peter Cummings, Janitor, … .
Howard Johnson, Movie Critic, …
Even these?
Thanks for all your help, and have a nice holiday!!
When a job title follows a person’s name and is part of the complimentary close, capitalize.
Example:
Sincerely,
Peter Cummings, Janitor
When a job title follows the name in the middle of a sentence, do not capitalize.
Example:
Peter Cummings, the janitor, was asked to resign.
When the job title precedes the name in the middle of a sentence, capitalize the title.
Example:
I spoke with Janitor Peter Cummings about his lack of detail.
Now I have a question regarding capitalization of holiday wishes.
I’d like to wish Seasons Greetings to all.
I would like to say Happy New Year to all!!
I hope you have a Happy Birthday.
My family and I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!
I’s like to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to the Stevens family!
Much obliged.
Go ahead and capitalize them all just as you did.
What is correct? Co-Chair or Co-chair? Does it depend on how you use it?
Capitalize both C‘s.
I have a question regarding the capitalization of field of work, such as dentistry. If there is a specific field of dentistry, such as, “forensic odontology”, should it be capitalized?
For example, Forensic Odontology is more prevalent than in years past.
or,
Some suggest the field of Odontology is less accurate.
Thank you.
We would not capitalize “forensic odontology.”
Do I need to capitalize auto collision repair technician in this sentence?
I am applying for an entry-level position as an auto collision repair technician.
In general, you would not normally capitalize the job title in that sentence. However, if the company to which you are applying capitalizes it in their sentences advertising the position, then you may choose to capitalize as well. This belongs in the “ego rule” category.
I would like to know if “elementary school teacher” and “reading interventionist” or “middle school teacher” should be capatilized in my resume/cover letter?
In a cover letter you are probably listing these titles in sentences. The rule would say not to capitalize. In your resume, you may be providing a listing of the positions you have held. Thus, you might give yourself the liberty to capitalize either the first letter of each title or the first letter of each word of each title, depending on your overall resume format.
Do we always capitalize ‘God’… irrespective of the context in which it is used? I see both in use.
If it is used as the proper name for the biblical Supreme Being, then yes, it should be capitalized. If it is used as the general noun, “a god,” meaning a supernatural deity or idol that is worshipped, then it is not capitalized.
I’m editing a story about U.S.Marshals doing their thing. One man involved is referred to as “U.S.Marshal So-and-so”, and the story involves more than one marshal (sic). Should the word “marshal” be capitalized when used alone?
The word “marshal” does not need to be capitalized when used alone and referring to marshals in general. However, capitalize the title when used as a direct address even when the person is not named.
I have a similar problem when characters in the story use the job title as a name. “Hello, Marshal. How are you?”
Since they are not saying “Marshal Dillon,” should the word not be capitalized, even when used like a proper name?
Our post When to Capitalize People’s Titles says, “Capitalize a title when used as a direct address even when the person is not named.”
If a title is used alone, in place of a personal name, it should be capitalized.
In formal contract documents that describe the roles and activities of various key personnel, is it correct or acceptable to capitalize job titles? From my reading of Chicago and other resources, it would seem that they should NOT be capped, but there are times when I really resist lowercasing them.
For example, “The Finance and Procurement Manager assumed a number of new responsibilities during the performance period.”
That *looks* right to me, where “The finance and procurement manager assumed…” just doesn’t. Am I falling into the “everything should be capped” trap?
Yes, I think you are falling into that trap. Titles should only be capitalized if they precede a proper name when used as part of the name or in special cases when they immediately follow the name without the word the.
The finance and procurement manager assumed a number of new responsibilities during the performance period.
Finance and Procurement Manager Roberto Rodriguez will be the guest speaker today.
I am a 55 year old student at Penn State working towards my Voc 1 certificate. I am no good in english never was, my question is does the two words; new year need to be capitalized in this form: I will be starting my special needs program in the new year. word 2007 says it does.
In your sentence it should not be capitalized.
I will be starting my special needs program in the new year.
If you are referring to the New Year holiday, you should capitalize it.
I will be starting my special needs program on New Year’s Day.
Still struggling with when to capitalize a title or ex. title in a press release. Here is my dilemma:
[Company] today announced the promotion of [Ms. Employee] to the position of Vice President Administration. Her areas of responsibility include human resources, customer service, marketing communications and exhibit planning. [Ms. Employee] has been with [Company] for six years as Executive Assistant to the President and has been involved the medical device industry for more than ten years.
“[Employee] has played an essential role in [Company] operations since our inception,” stated [John Doe], president and chief executive officer. “Her promotion is a direct result of her dedicated service and proven experience in managing key administrative areas of [Company] operations.”
The rules shown in the blog state that job titles should be capitalized when immediately preceding the name when used as part of the name and in special cases when immediately following the name when the word the does not appear in front of the job title. In your example, we would not ordinarily recommend capitalizing.
You did, however, mention that you are writing a press release. According to The Chicago Manual of Style (8.1), non-academic contexts, such as press releases, may capitalize titles that normally would not be capitalized. Therefore, you may capitalize “Vice President of Administration” and “Executive Assistant to the President” if you wish.
This site is very helpful! I used to know all of these grammatical rules but find more and more of them slipping out of memory as time goes by. Nice to have a reference with people willing and happy to help.
I am glad you find the website valuable.
Thanks for the help – good advice. I am doing a transcript where they refer to various organizations without using the complete name of it. It is hard to decide whether or not to cap, but I will follow the rule of thumb that if it was said properly once earlier in the transcript, I will cap the “shortened” versions of same.
Great website – thanks!
Yes, we would continue to capitalize the shortened versions as well.
I am editing an employee handbook but am having trouble with the capitalization of words like superintendent, school board and school district. Any tips?
The word superintendent would not be capitalized unless it precedes someone’s name such as Superintendent McDonald. School board would not be capitalized as it would not be a proper noun. School district would only be capitalized if it refers to a specific school district such as School District 301.
Would I capitalize Program Director and Special Education in this context:
Our Early Intervention Program Director has 25 years of experience and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education.
Sometimes there is more than one right answer.
In our blog “Capitalization of Academic Degrees,” we recommended following The Chicago Manual of Style: write academic degrees in lower case, except when using the degree as a title. According to these guidelines, we would recommend, “Our early intervention program director has 25 years of experience and has a bachelor of science degree in special education.”
However, The Chicago Manual of Style also says: “The full names of institutions, groups, and companies and the names of their departments are capitalized.” If your “Early Intervention Program” is also considered a department in your organization, you would be justified in writing, “Our Early Intervention Program director has 25 years of experience and has a bachelor of science degree in special education.”
If you used your director’s name, according to the first rule above you would be justified in writing, “Early Intervention Program Director Evelyn Smith has 25 years of experience and has a bachelor of science degree in special education.”
What about job titles or interests by themselves; for example:
a list showing the name in one column then their title or interest in another
Name Title/Role
David Smith Business Analyst
Jane Doe Internal Stakeholder
Ian James Project Sponsor
Mary Jones Programmer
AND just a title in a sentance……..Please include the Business Analyst in the distrubtion list.
We would not recommend capitalizing the job titles unless this is a company document and egos are involved.
I have a question regarding titles in a generic handbook. As far as I understand, when reffering to a specific person, even without an actual name, you would still capatalize the title. Following this train of thought, when you are writing a handbook and cannot write a persons actual name (seeing as there might be turnover before the handbook is revised) you would still capatalize their title as it is specifically reffering to one singular person and not the generic position.
E.g.
Jane Doe being the Project Director, the sentance might read:
“If you have questions, please contact the Project Director” which is specifically refferring to Jane Doe.
We are having a grammar war here at work, so any assistance you could provide would be most helpful!
Many thanks –
Since your handbook speaks generically without a specific person’s name, I would write, “If you have questions, please contact the project director.”
I need help with the capitalization of the board of directors. This is a title that wouldn’t have a name attached to the front or back of it because it is plural and talking about a group. Would I ever capitalize the title?
Ex: The annual meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held on the second Thursday of the month of January.
You would not need to capitalize internal elements of an organization unless they are attached to a name. According to the AP Stylebook, “Use lowercase for internal elements of an organization when they have names that are widely used generic terms: the board of directors of General Motors, the board of trustees of Columbia University.“
would I capitalize the titles in the following:
3.5. The stockpile manager must initiate restocking during an Event if the actual storage amount falls below 75% of the designated storage amount.
3.6. The stockpile manager shall provide a salt/sand usage report to the Program Manager on Duty no later than 11:30 of each shift, for discussion at the Shift Transition Meeting. For an Event shift in which the stockpile manager is not on duty, the stockpile manager must assign the reporting responsibilities to a manager or supervisor on duty.
We see no particular reason to capitalize any of the words in 3.5 or 3.6 except of course the first words of each sentence. If the word “event” has a special meaning within your organization and your organization has decided to capitalize it, then follow that practice.
What about a sentence like this:
He talked about how frustrating it was to be the Chief of Staff of the entire U.S. Army.
Since it begins with “the,” does “Chief of Staff” have to be “chief of staff” instead? That doesn’t seem right.
It depends on where it is used. According to the Chicago Manual of Style, “As is the case with civil titles, military titles are routinely capitalized in the literature of the organization or government with which they are associated. Nonetheless, in formal academic prose, most such titles are capitalized only when used as part of a person’s name.”
It seems that if you prefer to capitalize this title, you could just right the sentence as “He talked about how frustrating it was to be Chief of Staff of the entire U.S. Army.”
It is the writer’s prerogative to capitalize the title or not, however, the Chicago Manual of Style advises, “As is the case with civil titles, military titles are routinely capitalized in the literature of the organization or government with which they are associated. Nonetheless, in formal academic prose, most such titles are capitalized only when used as part of a person’s name.”
the same way job titles are not capitalized following the word “the”, does the same rule apply with the word “a” ?
serves as a director of New World Agencies
or
serves as a Director of New World Agencies
cheers!
Yes, the same rules would apply to titles with “a” as with “the.” Therefore, “serves as a director of the New World Agencies.”
Should I capitalize or italisize Peace Garden in this sentence?
That statistic may have off-set the Gophers gridiron set-back to the Bison of North Dakota State except the Peace Garden state has a billion in the bank and Minnesota owes the bank two-three times that amount.
Descriptive nicknames for states are capitalized but not italicized. Also, offset and setback do not have hyphens. I suggest you write:
That statistic may have offset the Gophers’ gridiron setback to the Bison of North Dakota State, except the Peace Garden State has one billion in the bank and Minnesota owes the bank two to three times that amount
Should I capitalize the word dipatcher in the following sentence:
“I am pursuing this position as a dispatcher for (blank) Police Department because…”
Since the job title is not being used as part of someone’s name (Dispatcher Smith), you do not need to capitalize it. However, as a corollary to our “ego rule” mentioned in the “Capitalization of Job Titles” blog, if the organization’s job announcement or position description capitalizes dispatcher throughout the document, you may wish to capitalize it as well.
Wonderful blog! I was asked to proofread a term paper for my Boss (that is based on the ego rule!) and he insisted that you capitalize any noun that describes a person’s job. He says it is based on respect for the person who holds the job. I think his ideas come from serving over twenty years in the military, where titles are much more formal than most jobs in the civilian world.
On another subject, in the case above discussing Dispatcher Smith, would it be better to write “I am pursuing this position as Dispatcher” and drop the “a” that precedes the job description?
It would not matter whether the “a” was dropped, the word dispatcher would still not be capitalized since it is not being used as part of someone’s name.
“I want to be a Fashion Designer.” or “I want to be a fashion designer.”
And “I want to be an Animator.” or “I want to be an animator.”
Also “I study Animation at University.” or “I study Animation at university.”
Moreover “I am a University student.” or “I am a university student.”
Would I have to capitalise or not capitalise university? If so then the same rule applies to words like college, high school, primary school, kindergarten etc? e.g “My child is now in kindergarten.” or “My sister’s first born is now in Kindergarten.” or “I am a high school student.” or “I am a High School student.”
Which one is correct? Do I capitalise job titles or names of places when used in sentences like that? I must say that I’m literally confused about this one.
Since none of the job titles are being used as part of someone’s name, you do not need to capitalize them.
I want to be a fashion designer.
I want to be an animator.
Rule 2 in our “Capitalization” section states, “Capitalize a proper noun.” If you are referring to a specific school, such as Western Illinois University, you would capitalize it. The same rule applies to words like college, high school, etc. Also, unless you are referring to a specific course at the university (such as Algebra 2), do not capitalize the name of a subject.
I study animation at the university. OR I study animation at Bradley University.
I am a university student. OR I am a Brown University student.
My child is now in kindergarten.
I am a high school student.
How will you write your position in a letter of resignation? for instance,
I will be resigning as staff nurse from ABC Hospital…
should the word “staff nurse” be capitalized?
Thank you for the reply…
Since the job title “staff nurse” is not used as part of your name, you do not need to capitalize it.
Thank you for your wonderful blog.
I read through all of the comments and saw that you mentioned it is appropriate to capitalize titles that are fairly specific. I am struggling to edit a document that mixes many specific and non-specific titles. For example, “She has developed a career in the medical technology field holding positions that include supervisor of the Arizona Department of Health Services Laboratory in Flagstaff, AZ; Bench Medical Technologist in Microbiology and Transfusion Medicine at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System at West Los Angeles, CA; and Laboratory Quality Assurance Coordinator for the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.”
In the case above, I am concerned that if I capitalize all of the titles except supervisor, less informed readers will assume it is a typo. Or should all titles be lower case, in which case I am concerned the passage will be more difficult to read.
Thanks!
Since the job titles are not being used as part of someone’s name, you do not need to capitalize them. The passage does not seem to be any more difficult to read with lowercase titles.
She has developed a career in the medical technology field holding positions that include supervisor of the Arizona Department of Health Services Laboratory in Flagstaff, AZ; bench medical technologist in microbiology and transfusion medicine at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System at West Los Angeles, CA; and laboratory quality assurance coordinator for the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.
I’m on a workgroup tasked with creating the requirements for a new certified position in our state. One of the documents we created has the following sentences:
“This document describes the minimum standard of competencies for certified parent peer specialists.”
“The essential functions of a certified parent peer specialist are…”
During review, the workgroup’s self-proclaimed grammar expert insisted that “certified parent peer specialist(s)” in the above sentences must be capitalized. My interpretation of the commonly-accepted rules of capitalization leads me to think no. So, which is it?
You are correct. The term is used generically and is not being used as a job title that is part of a person’s name. Therefore, it should not be capitalized.
In the paper that I am editing,does this get capitalized?
“Next Friday, our Vice President of Creative Services, Brianne Schaffer, will deliver to you, personally a check for fifty thousand dollars and a car.”
By writing the word our in front of her job title, it becomes more of a description than part of her name. Therefore, as written it would not be capitalized. If you omit the word our her title would be capitalized.
Next Friday, Vice President of Creative Services Brianne Schaffer will deliver to you personally a check for fifty thousand dollars and a car. OR
Next Friday, our vice president of creative services, Brianne Schaffer, will deliver to you personally a check for fifty thousand dollars and a car.
Kristin’s example is one of the best examples of where an “ego” rule would apply. I am struggling with a similar dilemma in editing a piece specifically about the life/work of an individual. I know the rules, and technically these titles should not be capitalized, but in both the examples given by Kristin above and in the example below, it actually looks odd (at first read) not to cap the titles.
The true dilemma is how much time it has taken thinking about the issue and making a decision! (And you can bet this will now be part of our publication’s style guide.)
My example, in a piece about “Ms. Smith”:
This dedication to education is evident through Smith’s participation as event coordinator of the annual [Event Title]. She has been involved for over twenty years!
The Faire began under the guidance of [Organization Title]. Smith served as special events coordinator for the board at the time.
Again, seems both Kristin’s and these examples beg for capping, but I think this is primarily because we are used to seeing job titles capped willy-nilly. I’m going to resisting capping!
Thank you for your website and blog. Love that this conversation has been ongoing since 2007 – obviously some aspects of grammar take time to clarify fully!
What if a name is not used with a title? For example, in a cover letter I may noting my experience as a freelance writer or a technical writer.
As stated in our rule above, “Do not capitalize titles when used descriptively.”
just a quick thanks for doing this blog. thanks
You are welcome!
We are constructing a bid for veterinary services, and the issue of whether or not to capitalize “Veterinary” or “Veterinarian” has come up when it is in the body of a sentence with no one’s name near it. I don’t think it should be since most of the rules point to the lower case.
What do you think?
You are correct. Unless it is part of a person’s title or proper name of a veterinary practice, it should be written in lowercase.
What is the rule if you are announcing a new hire in a press release. For example:
XYZ company has appointed Mindy Lyon to the position of continuous improvement specialist.
OR
Prior to accepting her position at XYZ company, Lyon was previously employed for eight years at XYZ company as a production supervisor.
Titles should only be capitalized if they precede a proper name when used as part of the name or in special cases if they immediately follow the name without the word “the.” You did, however, mention that you are writing a press release. According to The Chicago Manual of Style (8.1), non-academic contexts, such as press releases, may capitalize titles that normally would not be capitalized.
What about a job function, on a business card?
John doe
Creative Graphic Design & Illustration
or
John Doe
Creative graphic design & illustration
I understand that if I say “Creative Graphic Designer & Illustrator”, capitalization is necessary. But what about this case?
Thank you!
Although the style manuals do not address job functions in particular, the Chicago Manual of Style does acknowledge that both academic degrees and job titles are often capitalized on business cards and other promotional items. AP Style does not cover business cards and they say they are not aware of any “protocol” for business cards. Since you are a creative graphic designer, we’d say you have license to be creative on your business cards unless your company has specific business card guidelines.
I am writing a cover letter to apply for a job. I cannot decide whether or not to capitalize the job title. It’s not really being used descriptively as noted in the above examples.
Should my sentence be:
I am very interested in the cafeteria manager position currently listed on your website.
or:
I am very interested in the Cafeteria Manager position currently listed on your website.
Thanks for your advice.
Since the job title is not being used as part of someone’s name, you do not need to capitalize it. However, as noted in the “ego rule” in this blog, if the organization’s job announcement or position description capitalizes cafeteria manager, you may wish to capitalize it as well.
In addition to the question above, do I capitalize the word “the” in the name of the school (which contains the word “the” in its name)?
Should my sentence be:
I look forward to discussing the skills I would bring to the Truman School.
or
I look forward to discussing the skills I would bring to The Truman School.
Thank you for any help you can give on this. I appreciate it very much.
Generally, the articles a, an, and the are not capitalized unless they are at the beginning of a sentence. However, if the school capitalizes the word the in the job posting and other written materials, we would follow the “ego rule” and do the same.
I found this post really useful.
I am however trying to figure out one thing I couldn’t see addressed above:
When you are using a job title in place of someone’s name, do you capitalize it?
For example: How are you, Bishop? I’m not sure what is wrong with me, Doctor.
Thanks for any help you can provide with this.
Our Rule 6 of Capitalization states, “Capitalize any title when used as a direct address.”
Example:
Will you take my temperature, Doctor?
Therefore, the capitalizations in your two sentences are correct.
Do you capitalize manager or manager on duty?
i.e. Leaving your job before the scheduled time without the permission of the manager on duty may result in termination.
The term manager on duty is used generically in your sentence and is not being used as a job title that is part of a person’s name. Therefore, it should not be capitalized.
What if the job title appears directly or shortly after the article a? Consider the following example:
“nominaton of a Canadian Co-chair”
Also, how would you capitalize the title co-chair? Should it be Co-chair or Co-Chair. I’ve seen both forms used in press releases.
Thank you for any assistance you can provide!
I think I’ve figured out my answer to the question I posted earlier. I really want to capitalize co-chair because it’s the whole point of the communication that I’m editing. However, I think it’s technically supposed to remain uncapitalized.
The same rules would apply to titles with “a” as with “the.” The rule of thumb is to lowercase job titles when not used with names. When used with a name, the word cochair would be written “Cochair.” Note that Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary do not hyphenate the word. The Associated Press Stylebook retains the hyphen.
I have a question about capitalization for job titles.
“John is a speaker, author and Principal Analyst at Altimeter Group.”
Do I capitalize Principal Analyst when the company is included? Or would all titles be lower case?
Our Rule 3 of Capitalization says, “Capitalize a person’s title when it precedes the name. Do not capitalize when the title is acting as a description following the name.” Since principal analyst is acting as a description following the name, do not capitalize even when the company name is included.
“John is a speaker, author, and principal analyst at Altimeter Group.”
I would encourage you to keep going on the handwriting but to start keyboarding! I know my son will write much more if he can type it- not only because it is physcially easier for him, but because he knows that once he is finished getting his thoughts out he will have to go back and edit for spelling, grammar, etc and that means REWRITING!! While is typing skills are quickly improving, I wish I would have saved lots of tears (his and mine!) by jumping on the keybording bandwagon earlier.
We don’t know whether you intended to send your comments to us or to someone else, but we can certainly say that our grammar rules apply whether one is writing by hand or using a keyboard.
Should I capitalize my job title in my cover letter? Example… Currently my present IT Technical Support position…
thank you
Since the job title is not used with a name or as direct address, do not capitalize. Also, currently and present are redundant and neither word may be needed depending on the rest of your sentence. For example, In my IT technical support position I have responsibility for . . .
When you are using a job title prior to the person’s name, would it be capitalized?
i.e.; The Nevada Labor Commisioner, Jon Doe…
or
the Nevada labor commissioner, Jon Doe…
As our rule above states, “When the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.”
Your recent post on capitalizing job titles reached my desk today. I am curious why you are promoting using the “ego rules” for capitalizing job titles. This is inconsistent with nearly all style guides, including the The Chicago Manual of Style, The Associated Press Styleguide and The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage. I fight this battle with clients and my staff constantly. Grammar has rules for a reason. Egos should not change them.
We are not “promoting” the use of ego rules. We are simply acknowledging that there are inconsistencies in the recommendations of the style guides and there are inconsistencies in bosses’ egos. It sounds like your ego is in check if you are recommending toning down the capitalization with clients and staff. We hope that staff members are able to discuss the issue with their bosses. But if capitalization is demanded, don’t lose your job over it.
I have a question re: professional titles following by their abbreviations. Would it be “Alert the general manager (GM).” or “Alert the General Manager (GM).” Thanks!
The rule in our blog Capitalization of Job Titles states, “When the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.”
Alert the general manager (GM).
Thanks. Was exactly what I needed for my essay. Very succinct.
We are glad that you found our website helpful.
I am posting a job online and the first sentence within the body of the job description starts with, “Ad Operations and Trafficking professional for our advertising production environment.” Should professional be capitalized in this instance?
Thanks in advance.
Titles should only be capitalized if they precede a proper name when used as part of the name or in special cases if they immediately follow the name without the word “the.” Therefore, write “ad operations and trafficking professional.”
I am going through a parent handbook (or Parent Handbook) for my gymnastics team. I am confused about when the words team and level should be capitalized. The previous author capitalize both words throughout the handbook. I went through and told her not to capital any of the words. Going through and reading it again, I am thinking examples 1 & 5 below should be capital while the others should stay lower case?
Ex. 1: XYZ Gymnastics exclusively welcomes those who have shown the potential and desire to be part of our Team program.
Ex 2.: More notably, the incredible memories gymnasts make through Team experiences will last a lifetime.
Ex. 3: Sportsmanship – Being supportive of Teammates, following the rules, positively dealing with disappointment, and learning how to win graciously.
Ex. 4: Tuition varies with each Level of the program and is based on how often the gymnast must practice.
Ex. 5: The compulsory Level 7, is designed to encourage and prepare gymnasts for the transition from compulsory to optional routines at an appropriate age by providing skill direction and combinations that can be used as the basis for entry level optional routines.
In Examples 1, 2, and 3 the words team and teammates are used generically and should not be capitalized. In Examples 4 and 5 the word level should not be capitalized. Also, there should not be a comma in Example 5 and entry-level should be hyphenated.
Do you capitalize the job title when it is followed by the company name? Example:
Please contact the IBM Project Manager for assistance.
The IBM Project Manager will coordinate the efforts with…
or
Please contact the IBM project manager for assistance.
The IBM project manager will coordinate the efforts with…
We assume you meant to ask, “Do you capitalize the job title when it is preceded by the company name.” Since the job title is not used as part of the person’s name, do not capitalize.
Please contact the IBM project manager for assistance.
The IBM project manager will coordinate the efforts with …
I wanted to know if the title in the following sentence would be capitalized:
“Join Centegra Dietitian and Diabetes Coordinator Jane Smith as she discusses how to control blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure in diabetics.”
Centegra is the name of the hospital system that Jane works for. Not sure if having the “company name” before the job title makes it a possessive and therefore should not be capitalized.
Company names are always capitalized, but in this case, although it’s a close call, you seem to be dealing with a job description rather than a title like chairman or vice president, both of which are capitalized when they appear before a name.
Unless “dietitian and diabetes coordinator” is an official title, make it “Join Centegra dietitian and diabetes coordinator Jane Smith as she discusses how to control blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure in diabetics.” While omitting the Oxford comma (the comma before and, after cholesterol) is not an error, we prefer including it.
How about the following sentences:
1)My father was a medical technologist.
2)Both PAs and veterinarians have things in common.
3)I remember several phone call being made to Medical Doctors (MDs) and PAs.
Your first two sentences are grammatically correct, however, our Rule 2 of Parentheses says, “Use full parentheses to enclose numbers or letters used for listed items.” It should be followed by a space. You could write physician assistants instead of PAs to make your second sentence more clear and consistent with the word veterinarians.
(1) My father was a medical technologist.
(2) Both physician assistants and veterinarians have things in common.
Your last sentence should have the plural word calls. Also, writing both medical doctors and MDs is redundant. I recommend being consistent.
I remember several phone calls being made to MDs and PAs. OR
I remember several phone calls being made to medical doctors and physician assistants.
finanlizing minutes of annual convention.
1. Do you capitalize chair?
President Brown turned the chair over to Vice-President Smith.
2. Should it be its or their
Carol Smith, Chair of the Elections Committee delivered its/their report
The word chair would not be capitalized in your first sentence, and Vice President should not have a hyphen. Also, If someone is sufficiently identified, the description following it is considered nonessential and should be surrounded by commas. Therefore, in your sentence, Chair of the Elections Committee needs an appositive comma after Committee. However, because many authorities would lowercase chair after a name, you might consider “Chairwoman Carol Smith of the Elections Committee delivered…”
Finally, its is not consistent with the subject in your second sentence (Carol Smith). So here is a suggested revision of the two sentences:
President Brown turned the chair over to Vice President Smith.
Chairwoman Carol Smith of the Elections Committee delivered the committee’s report.
Should Multi Program be capatilized in this sentence….
He has resumed his position as Multi Program supervisor.
Thanks!
Since the job title is not used as part of the person’s name, do not capitalize. Also, multiprogram is generally one word.
multiprogram supervisor
Should “public schools” portion of the term “Richmond Public Schools,” referring to a city’s school district, be capitalized?
Thanks you
If “Richmond Public Schools” refers to the title of a specific school district, it could be capitalized, as would “Richmond Public School District.” If you are referring generically to the public schools located in the town of Richmond, you do not need to capitalize. Example: Everyone in her family attended Richmond public schools.
Thanks for your blog! I am translating a letter from foreign editors and there are two names. Should the names and titles at the end of the editors’ letter look as follows?
Jane Smith and Mary Love
Editors (The Editors?)
We recommend not capitalizing titles if used after a name:
Jane Smith and Mary Love, editors
Why would a person intentionally not capitalize certain words such as America, American or President of the United states. Is this to give insult or is there another meaning?
Proper nouns and adjectives derived from proper nouns should be capitalized. Therefore, both America and American are capitalized. Do not capitalize a title if it is used after a name or instead of a name, such as president of the United States. Many people do not know or understand capitalization rules. That could explain why a person would not capitalize certain words.
Do you capitalize the position of supervisor if it comes after a department name? Example “The claims audit supervisor will review the referral.” Or should it be “The Claims Audit supervisor will review the referral.”?
Thanks
Titles should only be capitalized if they precede a proper name when used as part of the name. Therefore, do not capitalize.
The claims audit supervisor will review the referral.
I am trying to write a research paper in MLA format and I am writing about my chosen career path. When I am speaking about (or writing) the profession should I capitalize it? the field is “diagnostic medical sonography,” and I am working towards becoming a “registered diagnostic medical sonographer.” To me these seem like titles, so I am having issues of whether or not to capitalize them.
Thank you!
We do not recommend capitalizing the medical field “diagnostic medical sonography” or the occupation “registered diagnostic medical sonographer.” It is possible that MLA format may differ.
Regarding capitalizing job titles, we are constantly responding to form Requests for Proposals and similar documents where these rules are almost always violated it seems and all titles are capitalized. (Sometimes they stop capitalizing certain titles when plural such as “dispatchers” but even those are sometimes capitalized. So when responding to someone else’s formal request for a response to their document, do we correct their hundreds of errors or take on their writing style? Keep in mind the solicitation document and the response can both be hundreds off pages of longs with dozens and dozens of titles.
Many of the rules regarding capitalization of job titles are “rules of thumb.” As a corollary to our “ego rule” mentioned in the blog above, if the person capitalizes a job title throughout a document, you may wish to capitalize it in your response as well.
How would you write one’s job title in an interview citation?
E.g.:
Last name, First name. Job title. Personal interview. Date.
Do you capitalize the job title or leave it in lower case?
There is no rule we are aware of that applies specifically to interview citations. When a job title is not immediately before a name, it is usually not capitalized. However, your case is different in that it is not part of a complete sentence. You may want to have your capitalization consistent with the job posting and other documents that your employer uses.
What about in a resume??
Ex: Seeking a job position as a Bilingual Account Executive….?
Would the job position (Bilingual Account Executive) need to be capitalized or would it have to be..
Ex:Seeking a job position as a bilingual account executive..?
Since the job title is not part of a name, do not capitalize.
I am trying to come up with a title for my essay. The essay is about the best or the worst job. I chose the worst job and still can’t come up with a title for my essay.
Any suggestions?
Sorry, we only offer help with specific grammar-related issues.
I have to write a weekly report that says someone spoke with a person but using his/her title only. Which is the correct way to write this:
Met with the Contracting Officer Representative (COR).
or
Met with Contracting Officer Representative (COR).
I want to put the “the” in there but the person who sent me his input doesn’t have the “the” there. Which is correct?
Neither of your examples is a complete sentence. Assuming that the phrase is going to be part of a complete sentence, we recommend using the word the. When the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize. Example:
He met with the contracting officer representative (COR). (We have more commonly encountered the term as “contracting officer’s representative.”)
I take issue with a line in your Pop Quiz:
“Thank goodness for Finance Director, Sam Woo” – why do you feel that needs a comma? It’s like saying “We met with Vice President, Joe Biden.”
Either say
“Thank goodness for our finance director, Sam Woo”
or
“Thank goodness for Finance Director Sam Woo”
Thank you for your observation. We have revised the Pop Quiz.
Are they supposed to be uncapped or capped? Thank you!
Mr. Bob previously worked as
director of development and director of planned giving at Institution.
Additionally, he has held numerous advisory and leadership roles in the philanthropic world,
including president of the Blank Association for Philanthropy and president of
the planned giving roundtable.
Assuming that the “Planned Giving Roundtable” is the proper name of an organization or philanthropic project, write the following:
Mr. Bob previously worked as director of development and director of planned giving at the XYZ Institution. Additionally, he has held numerous advisory and leadership roles in the philanthropic world, including president of the Blank Association for Philanthropy and president of the Planned Giving Roundtable.
What is the rule for capitalizing the letter of each title in the following sentence: Companies’ Officers, Directors and other Employees… .
When should the words be capitalized and when should they be lower case letters?
Thanks
Titles are capitalized when they are used before names, unless the title is followed by a comma. Since your examples do not include any titles used before names, they are lowercase. Here is an example of a complete sentence using your terms:
The companies’ officers, directors, and other employees were all given employee handbooks.
Is “author” considered a professional title? Which is correct: We are pleased to have author Jane Doe join us. or We are pleased to have Author Jane Doe join us.
“Author” is considered an occupation rather than a title. We do not recommend capitalizing occupations.
We are pleased to have author Jane Doe join us.
I noticed in the comments above that “cochair” should not be hyphenated, but rather written as one word. Is this the same for all “co” titles? For example, “co-director”?
There is not always agreement among the authoritative references on hyphen rules. AP Stylebook recommends writing co-director. Chicago Manual of Style does not specifically refer to that word, but does recommend writing coauthor, coeditor, coworker, and co-op. The best advice is to pick a style and be consistent.
This is a dumb English Grammar Rule and I think it needs to change; especially when referring to
The President of The United States (Because there is only one whom holds this job title) and Vice President of The United States (Because there is only one whom holds this job title) or any Federal United States job title.
See?! It just looks better… and feels a little bit more intellectual.
That it looks better and feels more intellectual are not reasons to change rules. Do you think the phrase “there is only one whom” also feels more intellectual?
Would a job title that follows a name be lowercased even if it’s offset inside commas? I always thought it was acceptable to capitalize the title in this situation:
John Smith, Vice President, Acme Limited, stated…
Titles immediately following the name do not ordinarily require capitalization. The Chicago Manual of Style does acknowledge that job titles are often capitalized on business cards and other promotional items.
But in the example I gave, wouldn’t the title be a proper noun? This is an inline text example. The most common time this comes up for us is in press releases when we are introducing an individual before their quote.
The title “vice president” is not a proper noun. Press releases are considered promotional items, so it could be acceptable.
I take it, from reading your rule, that you would not cap chief of police, even when referring to a specific person. For instance: “The chief of police knew I had them.” Correct?
That is correct. However, if the title is used before a name and the title is not followed by a comma, it should be capitalized. Example:
“Police Chief Brady knew I had them.”
When a job title is being used in place of a specific person’s name, should it be capitalized. For example, “approval must be gained from the Franchisor” where the Franchisor is referring to the owner of a specific brand. Thank for your help!
In formal prose, we do not recommend capitalizing such words. Legal documents sometimes have their own rules, however.
According to my pocket style guide, “proper nouns and words derived from them are capitalized; common nouns are not. Proper nouns name specific persons, places, and things. All other nouns are common nouns. The following types of words are usually capitalized: names of deities, religions, religious followers, and sacred books; words of family relationships used as names; particular places; nationalities and their languages, races, and tribes; educational institutions, departments, degrees, particular courses; government departments, organizations, political parties; historical movements, periods, events, documents; specific electronic sources; and trade names.”
The author thinks that, “months, holidays, and days of the week are capitalized: May, Labor Day, Monday. The seasons and numbers of the days of the month are not: summer, the fifth of June. Names of school subjects are capitalized only if they are names of languages: geology, history, English, French. Names of particular courses are capitalized: Geology 101, Principles of Economics.
NOTE: Do not capitalize common nouns to make them seem important: Our company is currently hiring technical support staff [not Company, Technical Support Staff ].
Capitalize a title when used as part of a proper name but usually not when used alone. Prof. Margaret Burnes; Dr. Sinyee Sein; John Scott
Williams Jr.; Anne Tilton, LLD District Attorney Mill was ruled out of order. The district attorney was elected for a two-year term.
Usage varies when the title of an important public figure is used alone: The president [or President] vetoed the bill. “
I think the confusion is caused by all the job postings and free resume/cover letter templates on the Web. Major publications like the NY Times and WSJ usually capitalize titles of to popular/prominent people to avoid ambiguity or when surnames (names) are not available, and sometimes just for emphasis. It appears that it’s a matter of preference in some cases to me.
Take a look at the following examples:
The Naked Cowboy unloads 20,000 rolls from the Charmin Dump Truck at Times Square. 1 p.m.
On the final day of cuts across the league, the St. Louis Rams released defensive lineman Michael Sam, a seventh-round pick out of Missouri.
Mr. Bean soon changed job titles, becoming its founding director in 1960.
He was a logician, circus manager, an astronaut, art critic and an art adviser to beggars, gurus and private collectors.
Now, compare the examples to job posts on Indeed and common CV templates, and you’ll see why there’s so much confusion! Take a look at the following:
Bain Principals are most often promoted internally from the Manager role, but occasionally an outstanding candidate with demonstrated leadership experience may be invited to join Bain at this level.
One time a recruiter actually scoffed at my resume because I decided to capitalize “Hiring Manager,” in my cover letter. She thought I didn’t know difference between an adjective and noun. According to the recruiter, it’s poor etiquette and bad grammar to capitalize titles unnecessarily.
My understanding is what the author summarized in the style guide. I think it’s acceptable to use capitalization in lieu of a name or when referring to someone in a position of authority to underscore a job function (the ego rule), although a grammarian might disagree. What do you think? The comments are confusing.
We try to follow the rules listed on our Capitalization Rules page. We do not recommend capitalizing titles if they are used after a name or instead of a name, although we acknowledge that it may sometimes be necessary due to the “ego rule.” Not all publications follow the same rules, therefore you will see a variety of capitalization usage. We agree with you that it is a matter of preference.
Do you capitalize the following: May I ask a question, Coach?
Yes, capitalize a title when used as a direct address even when the person is not named.
Are formal titles capitalized when written in a bulleted list as in on a resume? Thanks!
– Seasoned Engineer
“Seasoned Engineer” is not a formal title. Even official titles should be lowercased unless they are followed directly by a name according to The Chicago Manual of Style and The AP Stylebook. However, people often take liberties with capitalization in resumes.
Customer service professional with over 5 years of experience in the transportation industry and 9 years in the Administrative field. Interested in pursuing a front desk position / Administrative position in the CITY NAME HERE County area.
Will you please tell me if the above sentences are grammatically correct please?
You do not indicate specifically how this is to be used. If it is part of the body of a cover letter, we recommend using complete sentences. If it is part of a list or bulleted resume format, complete sentences are not necessary. Capitalization and punctuation are optional when using single words or phrases in bulleted form. The rule of thumb is to be consistent. Use of the slash mark is not recommended.
Example for a cover letter using complete sentences:
I am a customer service professional with over five years of experience in the transportation industry and nine years in the administrative field. I am interested in pursuing a front desk or administrative position in the Chicago, Cook County, area.
Example for a resume format:
Customer service professional with over five years of experience in the transportation industry and nine years in the administrative field
Interested in pursuing a front desk or administrative position in the Chicago, Cook County, area
My company refers to employees as “partners” They always capitalize “Partner” even when used alone (without the company name). Should partner be capitalized when used to refer to a company’s employees when the word is used without the company name? (i.c. The credit union has great partners.)
Also, should credit union be capitalized when it is used alone in a sentence but is referencing the credit union such as the above example sentence ?
The Chicago Manual of Style’s Rule 8.67 says, “The full names of institutions, groups, and companies and the names of their departments, and often the shortened forms of such names (e.g., the Art Institute), are capitalized. A the preceding a name, even when part of the official title, is lowercased in running text. Such generic terms as company and university are usually lowercased when used alone (though they are routinely capitalized in promotional materials, business documents, and the like).” Therefore, the shortened form “the Credit Union” is correct, however, capitalizing the word partner is questionable.
I’m proofreading a document with biographies of speakers for an event, and I have some issues with how to capitalize titles. Here are the two cases:
1) Dr. Wang is the (Director) of Office of International Relations and Office for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs, Nanjing University.
2) Dr. Wang is the (Executive Vice President) and (Secretary-General) of the National Association for Introducing Foreign Talents, sub-association of the Chinese Association of Higher Education (CAHE), and the (Executive Vice Chairman of the Board) and (Secretary-General) for the Society for Studies on Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese Student Affairs in Nanjing.
Do the titles in (parenthesis) need to be capitalized? Is this a rule of ego situation?
Thank you so much!
As the blog states, when the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.
1) the director
2) the executive vice president and secretary-general; the executive vice chairman of the board and secretary-general
We are printing business cards and are discussing whether the second line can be written:
John Doe, Managing Director
certified expert for engineering in coastal regions
(In my opinion it is a matter of personal taste, as it is not a job title, rather a qualification. My colleague thinks that at least the “C” in certified should be capitalised, but I think for ease of reading it can be lower case.)
Looking forward to your response.
The Chicago Manual of Style acknowledges that some spelled-out terms that should not be capitalized in normal prose are often capitalized on business cards and other promotional items. We recommend that you find out if your company has specific business card guidelines and choose a style that is consistent with others in the company.
The line in question is not usual and therefore there isn’t a prevailing guideline. This is why we are turning to your site for a recommendation. Do I understand you correctly that we can either capitalise the “c” in certified or not as a matter of personal taste?
If you wish to design the business cards based on grammar rules, the term would not be capitalized in normal prose. Some people prefer to consider aesthetics or the ego rule stated above when choosing a design. It is your choice.
Thank you for doing this blog! I, too, often fight in grammar wars. To me the issue of title capitalization seems so simple if you remember that titles by themselves are not important; titles only become important (and are therefore capitalized) when they are attached directly to a person’s name. Yes, that is a generalization with exceptions, but I think it covers most instances.
We appreciate the positive feedback.
do you capitalize Supervisor ,if it’s before the person last name and used has a title ?
Yes, capitalize job titles immediately preceding the name when used as part of the name.
I’m trying to figure out when to use a capital for the word sheriff. Is it the sheriff’s car? Or the Sheriff’s car? Sheriff Wolf? or sheriff Wolf? the Sheriff’s Department or the sheriff’s department?
Or is it even the sheriff, or the Sheriff?
Examples:
– The sheriff’s office, like the conference room, was bright from the mid-day sun.
This refers to a particular Sheriff, so does it need a capital?
Or would it be:
– Two patrol cars were parked out front on either side of the Sheriff’s unmarked Blazer.
– “Nice to meet you, Sheriff Wolf.”
Help appreciated.
As the blog states, “When the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.” Therefore, write “the sheriff’s car, department, office, and unmarked Blazer” in your examples. The blog also states, “Capitalize job titles immediately preceding the name when used as part of the name.” Therefore, “Sheriff Wolf” is correct.
… we need everyone’s input into whether or not to have the Church Council pursue this avenue further. It is imperative that all have a say in this matter, since it is not up to the church council or the pastor to make these preliminary decisions. In order to receive input from you about this possible move, the elders and Pastor, with the support of the Church Council, are planning to visit as many…
I’m trying to sort out when to capitalize “Church Council” and “Pastor”. Have I got it right?
Readers don’t know if “church council” is generic or specific. We wouldn’t cap it from the evidence supplied. The word pastor is not used as part of a name. Therefore, it does not need to be capitalized.
I am a teacher and a coach at a local high school. I am having to make a biography for the school program and have a question about whether I need to capitalize my titles as coach. For example, would I say that I have been the assistant cross country coach and the head baseball coach, or would I say that I have been the Assistant Cross Country Coach and the Head Baseball Coach? Also, in regards to the subjects that I teach, would I say 9th grade world history, 9th grade World History or 9th Grade World History (or are all of these wrong)?
The coaching titles, grade, and school subjects do not need to be capitalized in your sentences.
Have you ever heard of an instance where he capitalization is mixed with the level being lower case and the department being upper case? For example, director of Finance?
We do not see any reason why the word finance alone would be capitalized in the term “director of finance.”
I often write new-hire announcements and retirement announcements for our company and I struggle with capitalizing titles when written at the end of the sentence. For example:
He was Senior Vice President of Sales for 30 years.
or
He was senior vice president of sales for 30 years.
Here’s another example:
He began his career as Advertising Assistant in 2003 and was promoted to the position of Advertising Manager in 2006.
or
He began his career as advertising assistant in 2003 and was promoted to the position of advertising manager in 2006.
Or should one title in the second example be capitalized and not the other?
I know that if I put “the” in front of “senior,” I can use lowercase, but when I’m not using “the” I’m not sure what to do. And I’m not sure what the rule is when the job title is preceded by “position of” without “the” in front. Maybe adding “the” doesn’t matter. It seems to me that all of these cases should be lowercase since the titles aren’t preceding the name, but I’m not sure.
They should all be lowercase since the titles are not immediately preceding the name.
Question: if it read: The Advertising Assistant, Harry Henderson, is retiring…. or Advertising Manager, Harry Henderson is retiring…
Would the titles be capitalized then? I run into this problem as well.
As the post states, “When the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.” Therefore, do not capitalize advertising assistant in your first example.
Since the job title is immediately preceding the name in your second example, it is capitalized correctly. The comma between the title Advertising Manager and the name is not necessary. Write Advertising Manager Harry Henderson is retiring.
I am writing about a woman. She is a US homicide detective. Is “detective” a job description or a title? That controls whether to capitalize or not, correct? For instance, when she’s introduced to someone, do I write, “This is Detective Kit Mangini?” When reference is made to her within the body of a sentence, i.e., “We received the letter, detective, that’s why we’re here”, is detective capitalized in that instance? Also, in the previous sentence, specific to that sentence alone, is the comma properly placed outside the quote marks before the word is?
This is a gray area. The term detective might be a job description. (We would not say, “This is Director Steven Spielberg.”) You should find out if the term is official, like lieutenant. If so, that is her title, and should be capped right before her name. An official title would also be capped in the quotation you included.
Your comma is misplaced. Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks in American English.
I understand that the “level” of a job title is not capitalized after a name, but is the “division” (e.g. international business) or does it matter if the actual word “division” follows?
John Doe is director of international business for Subway.
John Doe is director of Subways’s International Business Division.
The term “international business division” sounds generic to us and therefore probably does not need to be capitalized. Also, the possessive form of the proper noun Subway is Subway’s.
I have a doubt if role name has to be capitalized in the following scenario:
The Site Coordinator receives complaints from all the market regions.
Please suggest if Site Coordinator should be in capitals or small case.
The term site coordinator is not ordinarily capitalized when used alone.
I’m currently editing a manuscript but am fairly new to this role.
If someone says I became the district superintendent or I am the district superintendent would this be capitalised or not? I’ve changed it back and forth so many times now.
Many thanks for your help
As the post states, when the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.
Quick question in regards to job titles:
Sentence: A statement from acting Commissioner Carolyn Colvin relayed along the following.
Would acting be capitalized in this case as it is introducing Carolyn as the current commissioner? Please advise. Thank you!
No, do not capitalize the word acting. It is an adjective describing the title.
I’m wondering if you would recommend writing “Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors Anne and Able Seward” or would it be “Co-founders and Co-artistic Directors Ann and Able Seward”?
I believe it’s the former, where both of the words on either side of the hyphen are capitalized, but I would welcome your thoughts. Many thanks!
Unless it starts the sentence, “co-founders” should not be capitalized. If it starts the sentence, only “co” would be capitalized. We would write the following, assuming the phrase appears mid-sentence: … co-founders [or cofounders] and co-Artistic Directors Ann and Able Seward. This also assumes that “artistic director” is an official company title.
How would you do this title, after the name in ap style, please?
Jane Doe, chief biker in charge (on biz card this style) or chief biker-in-charge?
No hyphens are required.
When you are writing about a position that uses the proper name of the division, would you capitalize just the division name or the whole thing? For example: The Strategic Response Division staff assistant or The Strategic Response Division Staff Assistant.
Just capitalize the division name.
When writing on the back of a business card, Need an interventionist? Don’t wait let’s collaborate? Should I use quotation marks?
Quotation marks are not necessary; however, we recommend adding a semicolon after the word wait.
(FYI: I am proof reading Legal Depositions for a friend of mine..and need quick advice..
I’m typing only the sentence relevant..not entire paragraph..so this is “exactly” how the person being deposed answered a question & was typed by the court reporter..
Looks like I’ve been out of school waaay to long)
Your site has REALLY been helpful to me!!
However, I’m not 100% positive on the [following sentence]:
I do understand when ‘the’ is in front of a job title it should NOT be capitalized..but how about this..
[He signed an affidavit to the fire marshall, State Fire Marshall, yes.]
(the way I understand it..
‘the fire marshall’ would not be caps because ‘the’ is in front ‘State Fire Marshall’ would be caps …
Am I right??)
Thanks in advance!!
PS:. I hope you can understand what I’m asking
Yes, you are correct about capitalization in this case, but you’ve misspelled marshal.
What about in the case of job titles in text not following a name e.g., intake worker as in this sentence example: If you need help, contact an intake worker. Some people want the job title capitalized (along with other examples such as case aid, prevention worker, etc.) but I don’t think job titles should be capitalized. Who’s right?
We see no reason to capitalize intake worker or the other job title examples in your sentence.
I love your site and used it with my students when I was teaching. Now I work as a writer and editor in educational publishing and have a question about capitalization of properties within mathematics. Should the associative, commutative, and distributive properties be capitalized? I’ve seen it handled three different ways in textbooks: Associative property, associative property, and Associative Property.
As we mention in the introduction to our rules on capitalization, “It is best not to use them [capital letters] if there is any doubt.” We see no particular reason to capitalize the mathematical properties you mention. We would capitalize such references only if they are established as proper nouns within mathematical vernacular, e.g., Pythagorean Theorem (which also at times appears as “Pythagorean theorem,” the P being capitalized because it refers to a proper name, Pythagoras).
If capitalization of these mathematical properties has not been standardized within texts or leading mathematical or scientific journals, then we suggest that you establish a practice and be consistent.
What is correct?
“Thanks again, Boss Joe!” or “Thanks again, boss Joe!”
Even though “boss” may not be considered a formal job title, as we mention in our post When to Capitalize People’s Titles, “Capitalize a title when used as a direct address …”
Thanks again, Boss Joe!
I’m editing a K-12 school handbook. Is it appropriate to capitalize District when referring to the school district rather than writing out the entire name all throughout the document?
Same thing for Board or Board of Education – would it be appropriate to capitalize those also without always saying School Name Board of Education?
Our post Capitalization of Governmental Words says, “When you refer back to a proper noun using a shortened version of the original name, you may capitalize it.”
In an employee Handbook, should Executive Director be capitalized?
For example: “You may elect to use floating holidays for observance of other holidays not listed, with prior approval of the executive director.”
As per the rule above, when the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.
I want to list back-office manger as a job title on my resume.
Should it be Back-Office Manager? Back Office Manager? Back-office Manager?
Thanks
When using single words or phrases on a résumé, business card, diploma, or such, the title may be capped. We recommend that hyphenation follow the way it was written on your job description.
I’m not sure if the closing of a pastor’s title should be capitalized. Would you please help?
John Doe
Lead Pastor
OR
John Doe
Lead pastor
We assume you are referring to a signature line. As the post states, “Capitalize titles in signature lines.”
John Doe, Lead Pastor
I consistently see poor grammar from my colleagues at work and sometimes I question myself at times since I see it so often. Can you answer or confirm if “Senior” should be capitalized when used in front of Project Manager? I believe it should.
Example:
I wanted to take a moment and introduce myself, my name is XXX and I am a senior Project Manager for the ….
The same rule would apply when “a” appears in front of a title as with “the.” Therefore, senior project manager should be lowercase in your example.
However, you would capitalize in this context: I want to take a moment and introduce myself. I am XXX, Senior Project Manager for the … (as long as “Senior” is officially part of the title).
Which is correct?
I would humbly ask the Northern Waters District Committee on Ministry to consider recommending me to the Board of Ordained Ministry for associate member.
I would humbly ask the Northern Waters District Committee on Ministry to consider recommending me to the Board of Ordained Ministry for Associate Member.
We see no reason to capitalize associate member. You may want to consider:
I would humbly ask the Northern Waters District Committee on Ministry to consider recommending me for associate member to the Board of Ordained Ministry.
Is it Sam Smith, Retired or retired?
We recommend:
Sam Smith, retired or Sam Smith (retired)
In the Pop Quiz above, the following sentence has been marked correct.
3. Sam Woo, Finance Director, delivered our third-quarter projections.
Why is “Finance Director” capitalized even though it appears after the name?
We added further explanation that capitalization in this case is an example of the “ego rule.” Thank you for your observation.
Which of the following is correct in writing an address in a letter:
Victoria Juan
Vice principal
or
Victoria Juan
Vice Principal
or
Victoria Juan
Vice-Principal
or
Victoria Juan
Vice-principal
In writing the address at the top of a business letter, the person’s title is generally capitalized:
Victoria Juan
Vice Principal
123 Main Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
In a position title is it proper to spell out Senior? Or should it be SR., such as Senior Corporate Fleet Director?
In the absence of formal guidelines in your office, we recommend spelling it out.
Examples:
Senior Corporate Fleet Director Jim Pinder
Jim Pinder, the senior corporate fleet director
I am editing the biographical accounts of several important scientists over the last 100 years. Often, they state their job history, and I am concerned about being disrespectful by not capitalizing their positions.
For example,
“He was promoted to Associate Professor in the Department of Literature at Thammasat University in 1942. Later, he was promoted to Associate Professor at the Faculty of Letters at the same university.”
Thank you ever so much. I am having a very difficult time finding a good reference for capitalization.
Capitalization for titles can vary. Common formal style would be to lowercase job titles when they do not precede names. We see no reason to capitalize the job title “associate professor” unless such decorum is known to be expected. Otherwise, we see no disrespect by lowercasing in your sentences.
I have a question regarding whether to capitalize a job title in a cover letter. I want to apply for a position I saw online, and the posting I originally saw does capitalize the job title, but the website does not (just to make things nice and confusing)! The position is Account Manager (not sure if I should capitalize here either), and there are quite a number of openings. Based on the “July 2, 2010, at 11:49 am” response to Dennis, it sounds like I should capitalize the job title, but then based on the “August 17, 2012, at 11:25 am” post to Tami, it seems like I would not capitalize the title. Can you shed some light on which way I should go? Thank you so much for your time!
Treatment of job titles tends to be a stylistic choice with great variation depending on each originating preference. Our two main style books, The Chicago Manual of Style and The Associated Press Stylebook, advise to capitalize titles when they appear before a person’s name; otherwise, when referred to alone, they are not capitalized. If you see conflicting style treatments, you can follow your own intuition or preference as to which would appear better in your correspondence.
I am applying for a job and the company clearly capitalizes the title Analyst. I know that due to the job posting, it should be okay to capitalize it if I prefer it. If I decide to capitalize when referring to the job that I am applying for, should I also capitalize all my other job titles in my cover letter? (Junior Analyst, Banking Advisor, Trainee, Intern etc.) Or can I just capitalize the position I am applying for throughout the text and when referring to old positions, just stay and use lower casing?
Example. “I am applying for the Analyst position. Previously I have been working as a junior analyst and a banking advisor.”
It is a matter of writer style and preference. Either option is acceptable.
Do you use lower or upper case for county commissioners in a sentence where you say Clark and Stevens county commissioners but don’t include the names of the elected officials?
Thank you for your help!
Common formal style would be to lowercase job titles when they do not precede names.
I work at a company that has several directors. I usually don’t capitalize director unless it is Director of Human Resources (or whatever). We also have some positions that are either managers or supervisors, and they like to capitalize the title Program Manager, while I only capitalize it when it is a specific position (such as Marketing Manager). To me, program manager does not need to be capitalized. Unless we are just following the ego rule and capitalizing everything, but it pains me to capitalize supervisor in a sentence when not referring to a specific person. Opinions? Thank you!
We agree with you. See also our post When to Capitalize People’s Titles.
Thanks for your blog! Very helpful! Is this correct? Or should the manager titles be capitalized?
“…these concerns should be discussed with the procurement manager.”
“…these concerns should be discussed with your procurement manager.”
Thanks!
Your treatment is correct.
Thank you so much! It’s amazing that you get back to readers and help us out!
1. Do I capitalize the names of teams?
“Contact the legal team.”
or
“Contact the Legal team.”
2. Should I capitalize the name in this scenario (a title before the person’s name who has the title)?
“Please contact our company’s Supply Manager, Bradley Manfield.
or
Please contact our company’s supply manager, Bradley Manfield.
Thank you so much!
Contact the legal team. (The reference is general as opposed to being a specific proper noun.)
Please contact our company’s supply manager, Bradley Manfield. (The title is descriptive in apposition as opposed to being an identifying proper noun of particular status or rank.)
This is part of an email to parents from their child’s teacher:
“Just a reminder that although other classes may choose to not do Mystery Reader and Classroom Helper; they do other things; have specific routines, games, etc. It is okay to vary from class to class; the overall material taught is the same!”
Do I capitalize Mystery Reader and Classroom Helper so they can pop? They are also the titles of the volunteer positions….
Since “Mystery Reader” and “Classroom Helper” are formal titles given to the positions, they should be capitalized. We would write the segment as:
Just a reminder that although other classes may choose to not do Mystery Reader and Classroom Helper, they do other things and have specific routines, games, etc. It is okay to vary from class to class; the overall material taught is the same!
I am working with an organization that has two treasurers. Co-treasurer or Co-Treasurer?
The Chicago Manual of Style does not recommend using a hyphen with the prefix “co.” The Associated Press Stylebook says, “Retain the hyphen when forming nouns, adjectives and verbs that indicate occupation or status.” AP also uses the following examples when using “co” as part of a formal title before a name:
co-President Alexa Manola
co-Executive Director Alfredo Hudson
When not part of a name or a signature line, we would not capitalize “co-treasurer.” Examples:
Alexa Manola is one of our co-treasurers.
Alfredo Hudson, co-treasurer, will be our speaker this afternoon.
Can you help me with this one?
Please contact the headteacher’s secretary
All applications should be submitted to the headteacher’s secretary
Is that correct?
Thank you.
Both sentences are correct with ending periods added.
I’m writing my resume. The title of my boss doesn’t necessitate using her name, nor does the type of company that I worked for. Which is correct?
Typed letters which were handwritten by the Executive Director of the Political Action Committee
Typed letters which were handwritten by the executive director of the political action committee
In addition, once I write it out, can I use PAC instead?
I’m not asking if I should use a period between the letters, just how people usually refer to a political action committee, the shortened term of which is capitalized, hence the second part of the first question regarding capitalization of the individual words.
We would treat the content as one of the following depending on whether the relative clause is restrictive or nonrestrictive:
Typed letters that were handwritten by the executive director of the political action committee (PAC)
Typed letters, which were handwritten by the executive director of the political action committee (PAC)
Once you have provided the acronym (PAC), you may use it in place of “political action committee” in subsequent references.