Resume Capitalization: Job Titles, Sections, and Degrees

Capitalization on a resume is one of those things that looks obvious until you sit down to write it. Do you capitalize "senior manager" in a job description bullet? What about "bachelor's degree"? Should your section headers say "Work Experience" or "WORK EXPERIENCE"?

These aren't trivial questions. Inconsistent capitalization on a resume signals carelessness to a hiring manager - and in a document that represents you professionally, that's the last impression you want to make. The good news: the rules aren't complicated once you know them.

This guide covers every section of a resume and explains exactly when to capitalize and when not to. We'll go through section headers, job titles, company names, degrees, certifications, bullet points, skills, and a few edge cases that trip up even experienced writers.

1. Section Headers

Resume section headers divide your document into named blocks: work history, education, skills, and so on. These always get capitalized - the only question is how.

You have two standard options:

• Title case: Work Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications
• All caps: WORK EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, SKILLS, CERTIFICATIONS

Both are correct and widely accepted. All caps gives section headers more visual weight and makes the resume easier to scan, which is why many professional resume templates default to it. Title case is slightly softer and works well on more design-forward resumes.

What you should never do is use sentence case for section headers (writing "Work experience" with only the first word capitalized). That reads like a typo, not a stylistic choice.

Common section names and how they're typically formatted:

2. Job Titles

Job titles on a resume follow a simple rule: capitalize them when they function as headings or labels, lowercase them when they appear mid-sentence.

In your work experience section, your job title appears as a label next to the company name. Capitalize it:

But in your resume summary or within a bullet point, if you mention a title mid-sentence, lowercase it. The rule here matches standard AP style and Chicago style: capitalize a title only when it precedes a name or functions as a stand-alone label.

The exception: if the title directly precedes a proper name (like in a reference context), you capitalize it. "Report to Chief Operations Officer Jane Smith." But that situation rarely comes up in a resume body.

3. Company Names

Company names are proper nouns. Always capitalize them exactly as the company does officially. This includes unusual capitalization that the company itself uses:

• eBay (not Ebay or EBAY)
• adidas (not Adidas, if working with the sports brand)
• LinkedIn (not Linkedin)
• McKinsey & Company (not Mckinsey and Company)
• Procter & Gamble (ampersand, not "and")

If you're unsure how a company capitalizes its name, check their official website or LinkedIn company page. Using the wrong capitalization on a resume - especially when applying to that company - signals you didn't bother to look.

4. Degrees and Certifications

Degree capitalization trips up a lot of people because the rules depend on whether you're using the formal name or the informal name.

Formal degree names are always capitalized:

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
• Master of Business Administration
• Doctor of Philosophy in Economics
• Associate of Applied Science

Informal or generic degree references are lowercase:

• bachelor's degree in computer science
• master's degree in business
• doctoral degree

On a resume, you'll almost always use the formal name because it's more precise and impressive. So capitalize it.

For abbreviations, always capitalize the letters: B.S., M.B.A., Ph.D., M.D. These are standardized abbreviations and the capitalization is fixed.

Certifications follow the same logic. Use the exact official name of the certification with its correct capitalization:

• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect
• Google Analytics Individual Qualification
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Never lowercase the official name of a certification. "Pmp" or "aws certified solutions architect" looks like a typo and misrepresents the credential.

5. Bullet Points

This one is simple: always capitalize the first word of every bullet point. It doesn't matter whether the bullet is a full sentence or a fragment.

Inside the bullet text itself, only capitalize proper nouns, product names, company names, and the names of specific tools or platforms that are capitalized by convention (JavaScript, Salesforce, React, Excel).

6. Skills Section

The skills section is usually a list of tools, technologies, languages, and competencies. Capitalize each skill exactly as it is officially named:

• Programming languages: JavaScript, Python, TypeScript, Go (not javascript, python)
• Frameworks and tools: React, Node.js, Docker, Kubernetes
• Software: Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Excel, Salesforce
• Generic skills: lowercase unless they're a proper name - "project management," "public speaking," "data analysis"

Where people go wrong: capitalizing generic soft skills ("Communication," "Leadership," "Problem-Solving") as if they're proper nouns. These aren't brand names or official titles - they're common nouns. Write them in lowercase when listed as individual items.

7. City, State, and Country

Cities, states, and countries are proper nouns. Always capitalize them:

• Nashville, Tennessee
• Chicago, IL
• London, United Kingdom
• Remote (capitalize when used as a location label)

State abbreviations follow USPS conventions and are always two capital letters: TN, IL, CA, NY. Don't write "Tn" or "Il" - it looks wrong because it is wrong.

8. Resume Summary and Objective

Your resume summary (or objective) is prose - it reads like a paragraph of regular sentences. Apply normal sentence capitalization here:

• Capitalize the first word of every sentence
• Capitalize proper nouns (company names, cities, official titles when used as labels)
• Lowercase generic job titles when they appear mid-sentence
• Capitalize named tools and technologies that are always capitalized (Python, Salesforce)

9. Special Cases

Military Titles

Military titles follow the same rule as civilian titles: capitalize when used as a label or directly before a name, lowercase when used generically mid-sentence. "Served as a captain in the U.S. Army" vs. "Captain James Reid, U.S. Army."

Always capitalize the branch: U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps.

Government and Academic Titles

Official government titles (Senator, Secretary, Director) and academic titles (Professor, Dean, Chancellor) capitalize when used as labels preceding a specific name or as a formal title in a list. Lowercase when used generically.

On a resume, you'd typically write your own title as a heading, so capitalize it: "Research Director, Harvard Kennedy School."

Academic Courses and Programs

Specific course titles and official program names are capitalized. Generic fields of study are not.

• "Completed Advanced Machine Learning" (specific course) - capitalize
• "Background in machine learning" (generic field) - lowercase
• "Data Science and Analytics Certificate" (official program name) - capitalize

Named Awards and Honors

Specific award names are always capitalized. "Dean's List," "President's Award for Excellence," "Employee of the Year" (when it's an official award title). Generic descriptions are lowercase: "received a performance bonus."

10. Common Resume Capitalization Mistakes

11. Quick Reference Chart

12. FAQ

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