What is a resume title?
A resume title (also known as a resume headline or resume tagline) is a catchy line at the top of your resume that summarizes your most impressive and relevant achievements. Successful resume titles are written in a way that makes the hiring manager want to read the rest of your resume’s sections.
Here are 19 examples of good resume titles, followed by writing tips to help you create the perfect headline:
19 resume title examples
Your resume title is unique to you, based on your qualifications and the job you’re targeting when you write your resume. Here’s a screenshot example of a resume title in context, followed by 18 examples of titles written for various industries and levels of experience:
For college students
How to write a title for your resume
There’s no formula for crafting a resume title. But if you follow these five tips, you’ll end up with a fitting title for your perfect resume:
1. Include keywords from the job ad
The purpose of your title is to quickly convince the hiring manager that you’re qualified for the job they’re trying to fill. The best way to accomplish that goal is by using keywords from the job ad that describe your target company’s ideal candidate.
When you read the job description, look for resume keywords that describe:
- experience requirements
- education expectations
- hard and soft skills needed to do the job
- certification and training preferences
2. Show your best skills and achievements
Your resume title is more of an elevator pitch than an introduction, so build it around the most impressive, job-relevant accomplishment on your resume.
But merely saying you’ve achieved greatness isn’t enough. Instead, show how you produced results using hard numbers, including:
- percentages of profit increased
- conversion or click-through rates
- number of employees supervised
- amounts of money managed, generated, or saved
- years of experience
Using data gives the hiring manager a clear understanding of your skill level and your potential impact in your target role.
3. Make your resume title unique
When you write the first draft of your resume title, you may naturally slip in cliches like “hardworking” or “highly motivated.” Replace those overused words and phrases with stronger resume words like action verbs and powerful adjectives.
Here are a few examples of resume adjectives and verbs that give your resume title unique flair:
- Inspire
- Construct
- Amplify
- Outpace
- Diverse
- Open-minded
- Quick-thinking
- Multifaceted
4. Capitalize your title
Your resume headline is a title, so capitalize it as such to help it catch the reader’s eye.
The easiest way to capitalize your headline is by using this automatic title tool. But if you prefer the do-it-yourself route, follow these capitalization rules:
- Capitalize all verbs, adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and any word with more than three letters
- Lowercase prepositions, articles, and conjunctions with less than four letters
- Capitalize the first and last word regardless of their length or part of speech
5. Keep your title on one line
Your resume title should be no longer than one line. If your title exceeds one line it’s probably a long, run-on sentence that even the most focused reader will struggle to get through.
Hiring managers scan many resumes each day, so your title should quickly capture their attention, and invite them to read on.
If you want to highlight relevant skills and accomplishments that don’t fit on one line, place a resume introduction below your title. To break up the text even more and make it easier to read, use a bulleted summary of qualifications, like this:
