Resume Synonyms for Cultivate

Want another word for Cultivate to use on your resume? Our team's compiled the most effective action verbs and synonyms you can use instead of the overused resume phrase, "Cultivate".

Kimberley Tyler Smith Author Photo
Compiled by: Kimberley Tyler-Smith
Senior Hiring Manager
20+ Years of Experience

Creating something new, as well as making it grow over time, is essential for jobs requiring long-term planning or development, such as project management roles. Using the action verb 'cultivate' in your resume shows employers that you're a candidate who can fulfill those requirements.

When you cultivate something, it means you're working to make it better and more valuable. This applies to your resume: To get the job, make sure your resume shows recruiters that you're a good match for it. One of the common problems with resume writing is using a word like 'cultivate' repeatedly. It's a good word, but its impact diminishes when used too often. In writing your experience, using the past tense of verbs—like 'cultivated'—to describe what you've done is also appropriate.

Fixing this problem can be done by replacing 'cultivate' with synonyms. Synonyms can help you avoid sounding repetitive, which can be off-putting to hiring managers who read hundreds of resumes daily. Other words for 'cultivate' might be 'evolved,' 'nourished,' or 'heightened.'

These synonyms will allow you to show your skill in creating and developing—someone who can nurture and grow something, whether an organization or an idea, while making sure you don't repeat yourself.

I've compiled some synonyms you can use instead of Cultivate on your resume, followed by real examples I've written for clients (feel free to use them!).

Resume Synonyms for Cultivate:

  • Enriched
  • Formed
  • Obtained
  • Nourished
  • Championed
  • Advertised
  • Campaigned
  • Endorsed
  • Raised
  • Bolstered
  • Augmented
  • Broadened
  • Elaborated
  • Enlarged
  • Evolved
  • Heightened
  • Lengthened
  • Materialized
  • Polished
  • Stretched

How to replace Cultivate with a stronger action verb:

Let's look at examples of how you can remove and replace the overused phrase, Cultivate, with a stronger synonym and alternative that is more effective at highlighting your achievements.

Before: Weak example using Cultivate

Cultivated relationships with key clients to drive sales

After: Using a stronger synonymFostered a professional working relationship with 13+ HNIs whose repeat purchases increased quarterly sales by $27K. .

Replacing Cultivate with Developed

Before: Cultivate

Cultivated a learning environment for students.

After: DevelopedDeveloped an academically rigorous environment for a cohort of 30 students, which resulted in a 10% overall increase in scores within 3 months.

As a hiring manager, the original statement is changed to specifically mention the number of students impacted and the measurable result achieved. With 'Developed', we provide a stronger action word and show an exact number for the improvement.

Tip: I've prepared a ton of additional examples for you to give you inspiration. Please click on any of the following to expand and see real examples of how I've rewritten client bullet points.


How to use these synonyms in practice

We've put together an infographic to give you more examples of how to put this into practice. Note the use of strong action verbs instead of words like Cultivate.


More resume bullet point samples that use strong synonyms

How to use Analyzed on a resume:

Analyzed fundamental growth drivers via top-down (macro/sector trends, competition) and bottom-up (growth strategy, revenue forecast, cost allocation) approaches, and analysis of senior management and shareholding structure..

How to use Led on a resume:

Led 2 business analysts to automate repetitive process flows using Excel Macros / VBA and reduce analysis time by 10+ hours per week.

How to use Designed on a resume:

Designed and implemented operational efficiency improvement program for leading UK energy supplier to reduce rate of energy outages by 60% in three years.

How to use Developed on a resume:

Developed pricing strategy for a digital subscription service by segmenting potential users by behavioral and psychographic attributes from survey data.

How to use Founded on a resume:

Founded ReferRoom to organize social events for 500 young professionals, and grew it to $20k/year revenue and $8k/year profit..

How to use Created on a resume:

Created method to compute similarity of all methods in a code base; reduced time complexity from O(n2) to O(n log n).


Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for Cultivate on a resume?

Synonyms you can use instead of the overused phrase Cultivate include:

  • Obtained
  • Evolved
  • Elaborated
  • Bolstered
  • Enriched
  • Stretched

What is a better word for Cultivate on a resume?

You can say Lengthened, Obtained or Stretched instead of Cultivate.


Get a free resume review: Find out if your action verbs are strong enough.

As a next step, I'd recommend going through each of your resume's verbs and improving each one with stronger action verbs. The most effective way to do that is by uploading your resume to tool below. It'll tell you which parts of your resume need work, so you can improve them before a recruiter rejects you for them.



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