Make sure your resume uses the right job titles for your career needs.
To craft a truly compelling resume, you need to highlight crucial details that demonstrate your qualifications for the position you're seeking. Those details include vital information about your skills, work experience, and key accomplishments. It's also important to effectively communicate relevant job titles that help illustrate your prior roles and duties. Still, selecting the right job title for your resume needs can sometimes be a challenge.
In this guide, we'll examine the important role job titles play in defining your career, why they're important for your resume, and how to choose the right titles for your needs. Then, we'll provide a comprehensive list of 450 job titles encompassing a wide array of industries in today's workplace.
It's important to begin any discussion of job titles for a resume by defining the term. Simply put, a job title is an assigned term that defines an employee's role within a given business organization. While some may think that job titles are reserved for only upper-echelon roles, the reality is that almost every employee has a job title of one type or another. Take hospitals, for example; even the orderlies and technicians have official job titles that help define their place within the organizational hierarchy.
What can employers learn from the job titles in your resume?
Of course, it's one thing to define a job title; it's quite another to understand why employers care about the job titles you've held in the past. What does the average hiring manager learn about you when they see your previous job titles in your resume?
Obviously, those titles provide insight into your prior positions, the type of work you've done, and your previous level or levels of seniority. But what else can they do? Why include them in your resume?
When you list the right job titles in your resume, you can provide employers with quick context about your previous job roles. Accurate and descriptive job titles can be one of the quickest ways to offer insight into your overall experience, duties, and responsibilities. That list of positions can help demonstrate your ability to operate at a high level of effectiveness.
Job titles also provide a clear illustration of your overall career progression. This is especially true if your career path has seen you gain multiple promotions over time. For example, if your resume includes a series of job title promotions – from Sales Associate to Assistant Sales Manager to Sales Manager – employers will be able to quickly identify your proven value as an employee and your commitment to personal and professional growth.
Finally, it's important to include the right job titles for your position and industry to help increase the chances that your resume gets past employer applicant tracking systems. These automated resume screeners scan resumes in search of specific keywords related to skills, experience, required job titles, and more. If your resume fails to highlight those required keywords – including job titles, then your candidacy could end before it effectively begins.
To help you learn how to optimize your use of job titles within your resume, we've compiled some useful tips from our resume experts:
1. Be accurate when describing your job title history
It's vital to be as accurate as possible when you choose job titles for your resume. If you were provided with a specific job title by a previous employer, list it. If you have no defined title, then try to select a title that accurately conveys the scope of your job duties and responsibilities. As you do so, make sure you avoid the temptation to inflate your role and title. It's always better to be honest.
2. Focus on aligning your work history with the job description
Wherever possible, try to match your previous job titles and duties to the job you're seeking. That can help you craft your resume narrative in a way that demonstrates a natural alignment between the roles you've held in the past and the one you're now seeking. That alignment can make it easier for employers to recognize your qualifications and experience, helping sell you as a great candidate for the job.
3. Be consistent and clear
Focus on consistency so that your chosen job titles are listed in the same type of format throughout your resume. For example, if your work experience listings begin with the job title followed by the company name, use that format throughout your resume. That consistency will make it easier for hiring managers to follow your resume narrative and help demonstrate your professionalism.
You should also try to be as clear as possible when citing your job titles. If your official title was Sales Floor Manager, make sure that you use that full descriptor. This attention to clarity and detail will help ensure employers are provided with the best possible illustration of your previous roles and unique value proposition. Remember, your goal is to make the best possible impression!
450 job titles you can use to boost your resume success
To give you some idea about the types of job title choices available to you, we've compiled 450 common and industry-specific titles. Chances are that you'll be able to find great job titles that accurately describe your prior job roles.
Accounting and Finance job titles list
The accounting and finance fields employ a wide variety of talented professionals who help maintain a stable and thriving financial sector – and the broader economy. We've included a list of 20 different accounting and finance job titles below that illustrate the depth of these professionals' expertise.
There are a wide variety of different administrative positions within any company's organizational hierarchy – with positions ranging from entry-level data jobs to various managerial positions. We've compiled a list of 25 of the most common job titles for the administrative field – some of which may accurately describe your past job history.
There are also a host of marketing and advertising positions and corresponding job titles. We've gathered a list of 10 of the most commonly used advertising and marketing jobs below to showcase some of the job title examples you may want to use when describing your history in this area of industry.
If you work with animals, it's important to know how to describe that work with the right job title. Here are 10 examples of the type of job title that could be right for your resume and job search needs:
There are many different types of jobs in the creative field, so it's important to list your previous roles in a specific way. To help you identify the right title for your creative job, we've created this list of 16 artistic and creative job titles:
America has long been known as a country that builds things – and many of the jobs involved in that building process have traditionally paid quite well. However, there's more depth to the construction fields than many people understand. For example, the following brief list includes 20 potential job titles that may describe your work in the construction industry.
How do you describe leadership and management roles? The employees who hold these critical positions are responsible for the security, vitality, and growth of their departments, teams, and businesses – but there is a dizzying array of words and titles used to describe those vital positions. Below, we've included a list of 22 of those possible job titles.
Cosmetology-related jobs are diverse, and the possible job titles reflect that broad diversity. Our list of 10 cosmetic and beauty-related job title examples may help you identify the right title for your resume needs.
There are many different types of counselors with a wide range of focuses. Some deal with family problems; others tackle mental health concerns, addiction, or even disability-related issues. Counselors work in schools, medical facilities, government offices, and large companies. Here are 10 examples of job titles that may describe your role in this invaluable industry:
For long-term success, companies rely on excellent customer service. These days, however, there's more to customer service than just meeting someone in a store and guiding them through the sales process. Today's technological advances have forced companies to meet customers where they live and shop – and, in the process, created entirely new kinds of customer service roles and positions. We've put together a short list of 10 common customer service job titles that may describe your previous roles.
As technology threats continue to grow, cyber security professionals play a vital role in protecting systems, equipment, and data. Below are 13 key job titles used by professionals in this industry.
Any driving in your work background? Whether you've transported goods or people, it's important to use the right title to describe those positions. Here are 10 examples of driving and transportation job titles:
When most people think about educational jobs, they probably think about teachers. However, there is a wide array of key jobs in this industry – including the 17 positions and job titles we've included in the following list:
Engineers are the beating heart and brains of the modern economy, channeling math and science-based ideas into truly marvelous works of modern technological innovation. Of course, there are many different areas of engineering expertise, so it's important to be as specific as possible when you're listing your Engineer job titles. We've listed 21 examples of possible titles below:
Year after year, healthcare continues to be one of the fastest-growing and highest-paying industries in the United States. It's also an industry that provides nearly twenty million jobs across the country while helping keep more than three hundred million Americans alive and healthy. As you might expect, this industry is also home to a wide array of job titles. Consider, for example, the 27 titles we've included below:
Across America, the hospitality industry continues to be vibrant and diverse. Its businesses include everything from travel organizations to lodging operations, as well as gambling establishments, spa resorts, and more. For some job title examples, consider the 25 hospitality titles in the following list:
As technology has taken root in every sector of the economy, IT positions have become extremely important in many industries. There's more to information technology than simple programming and network management, however. To illustrate the importance of this industry and the wide variety of roles and job titles that can appear on an IT resume, we've gathered a list of 26 great Information Technology job titles examples:
The legal profession is made up of a wide array of talented legal professionals. Here are 10 of the most commonly cited job titles used by applicants in this exciting industry.
While many manual labor positions may not come with easily identifiable titles, you should still know how to describe those roles in your resume. The following 10 job titles offer some clear examples of how to achieve that goal.
Need to describe your experience working for a nonprofit? Below, we've compiled a list of 10 examples of nonprofit and social services job titles that could be perfect for your resume.
Advocacy Specialist
Case Manager
Community Outreach Coordinator
Executive Director
Fundraiser
Grant Writer
Non-profit Program Manager
Program Director
Volunteer Coordinator
Youth Mentor
Operations job titles list
No business can survive and thrive without talented operations personnel who keep everything running in a smooth and efficient manner. No matter how large the company might be, strong operations teams can help make sure that resources, personnel, and processes are organized and managed to achieve optimal results. Here are 10 examples of Operations job titles that would be great additions to any operations-focused resume:
If you think that there's only one way to describe a job where you spend most of your time on the phone, think again! Below are 10 job titles that describe distinct roles related to phone work.
Whenever you're dealing with data, you'll always find good researchers and analysts carrying the workload. Together, they identify data sources, meticulously research and gather desired information, and conduct exhaustive analysis to better understand fact patterns and gain new insights that can be harnessed for a variety of purposes. Below are 10 job title examples that can help to describe your role and achievements in these exciting fields.
Everyone has to eat and drink – and there's nothing quite like engaging in those pastimes at an establishment committed to providing you with a truly stellar dining experience. That simple truth is one reason the restaurant industry continues to be such a dynamic force around the world. Here are 11 job title examples that may help to describe your role in this industry.
There's an old saying in business that nothing happens until someone sells something. As proof of the important role that salespeople play in the business world, we present the following list of 24 sales-related job titles. Whether you've been a line salesperson or a higher-level sales manager or executive, there's sure to be at least one sales job title in this list that fits your resume needs.
Scientific roles come in many forms – ranging from those who study the deepest mysteries of the cosmos to analysts who specialize in organic food or political trends. If you're a scientist who needs to choose the right job title for your resume, consider one of the 14 titles listed below.
If you're a software developer, you're likely more than just a generic programmer. Here are 10 examples of software-based job titles that can showcase your programming specialties:
Do you have volunteer experience that you want to include in your resume? Here's a list of key volunteer job title examples that you can use to help describe that experience:
Animal Shelter Board Member
Animal Shelter Volunteer
Church Volunteer
Community Food Project Worker
Community Volunteer Jobs
Conservation Volunteer
Emergency Relief Worker
Food Kitchen Worker
Habitat for Humanity Builder
Homeless Shelter Worker
Hospital Volunteer
Meals on Wheels Driver
Office Volunteer
Red Cross Volunteer
School Volunteer
Sports Volunteer
Suicide Hotline Volunteer
Women's Shelter Jobs
Youth Volunteer
Writing job titles list
Do you want to list writing experience on your resume? If so, then it's important to use the right job title or titles to accurately convey the nature of your work. Our list of 20 writing job title examples is a great place to start as you try to identify the right titles for your resume.
Include the right job titles in your resume to optimize job search success!
By using the right job title selections in your resume, you can ensure that you make the best possible impression on any hiring manager. These titles can help you focus attention on key skills and experiences, align your qualifications with the employer's expectations, and sell yourself as the best candidate for the job!
During Ken's two decades as a freelance writer, he has covered everything from banking and fintech to business management and the entertainment industry. His true passion, however, has always been focused on helping others achieve their career goals with timely job search and interview advice or the occasional resume consultation. When he's not working, Ken can usually be found adventuring with family and friends or playing fetch with his demanding German Shepherd.