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:

Developed
Promoted
Revitalized
Accelerated
Elevated
Converted
Optimized
Strengthened
Diversified
Synthesized
Transformed
Invigorated
Fortified
Maximized
Amplified
Expedited
Pioneered
Drove
Consolidated
Galvanized
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 synonym• Fostered 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: Developed• Developed 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.

Replacing Cultivate with Promoted ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated a harmonious team culture.

⤸

After: Promoted• Promoted an inclusive culture in a team of 15 cross-functional staff, resulting in a 20% improvement in team satisfaction scores within 6 months.

The new bullet gives a more comprehensive overview of the work done. 'Promoted' highlights the proactiveness of the role, while numbers show the number of people on the team and the quantifiable outcome.

Replacing Cultivate with Revitalized ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated client relationships.

⤸

After: Revitalized• Revitalized relationships with dormant clients, re-engaging 5 major accounts and driving an increase in revenue by 25% over 6 months.

The new statement quantifies the degree of impact delivered. The verb 'Revitalized' emphasizes an ability to rekindle and improve former relationships, therefore showing perseverance and strategic thinking.

Replacing Cultivate with Accelerated ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated positive business partnerships.

⤸

After: Accelerated• Accelerated the development of business partnerships, inking 10 new agreements that brought in an additional annual revenue of $100K.

'Accelerated' is chosen for its indication of speed and efficiency. The revised statement, with its numbers and facts, gives a clear indication of how the candidate's skills impacted revenue.

Replacing Cultivate with Elevated ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated a higher standard of work.

⤸

After: Elevated• Elevated the standard of output in a team of 10, decreasing project delivery times by 15% and increasing customer satisfaction by 30%.

The word 'Elevated' offers a sense of having lifted or improved something. The rewritten bullet point provides specific improvements made in terms of project delivery times and customer satisfaction scores.

Replacing Cultivate with Converted ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated opportunities into results.

⤸

After: Converted• Converted market research findings into sales opportunities, leading a team to close deals worth $1.5M in 2020.

'Converted' makes it clear that the candidate took research data and turned it into actionable results. Including the worth of closed deals clearly states the candidate's abilities to drive sales.

Replacing Cultivate with Optimized ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated process efficiency.

⤸

After: Optimized• Optimized workflow processes for a department of 50, reducing wasted hours by 20% and saving an estimated $200K annually.

The changes allow hiring managers to directly correlate the candidate's actions to quantifiable business improvement. 'Optimized' connotes improvement and the end result, the savings made, is directly tied to the action.

Replacing Cultivate with Strengthened ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated team performance.

⤸

After: Strengthened• Strengthened sales team performance, resulting in a 15% increase in annual sales and bonuses over a year.

'Strengthened' denotes the candidate's ability to improve and solidify performance. Clearly showing the number of sales increase, as a result, conveys the positive effects of the candidate's contributions.

Replacing Cultivate with Diversified ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated the company's product portfolio.

⤸

After: Diversified• Diversified the company's product portfolio, adding 5 new products that contributed to a 20% revenue increase in Q2 2020.

Choosing 'Diversified' as a stronger, more compelling verb than cultivate shows the candidate's innovative nature. Adding numbers and the outcome shows the measurable impact of the candidate's actions.

Replacing Cultivate with Synthesized ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated strategies based on customer feedback.

⤸

After: Synthesized• Synthesized customer feedback into 3 new product strategies, leading to a 25% increase in customer satisfaction scores.

The choice of 'Synthesized' emphasizes the candidate's ability to combine and utilize inputs in an effective way. The specific change resulted in clear, measurable improvements, thus strengthening their claim.

Replacing Cultivate with Transformed ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated the company's online presence.

⤸

After: Transformed• Transformed the company's digital presence by executing a robust content strategy, increasing organic website traffic by 40%.

'Transformed' conveys the scale of task and the outcome achieved, giving a much stronger impression of the candidate's abilities. The inclusion of metrics further quantifies the impact of the candidate's work.

Replacing Cultivate with Invigorated ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated a sense of team spirit.

⤸

After: Invigorated• Invigorated a tech team of 20 with team building activities, increasing productivity by 18% over a 6 month period.

Using the word 'Invigorated' demonstrates a notable improvement in team morale and spirit. And by quantifying the resulting productivity improvement, we better convey the candidate's ability to affect change.

Replacing Cultivate with Fortified ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated information security measures.

⤸

After: Fortified• Fortified the company's information security measures, reducing security breaches by 60% and saving the company $500K annually.

'Fortified' provides the sense of making something stronger and safer. By specifying the metrics related to both the reduction of breaches and savings, the value of this improvement is made clear.

Replacing Cultivate with Maximized ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated efficient resource usage.

⤸

After: Maximized• Maximized resource utilization, leading to a 20% reduction in operating costs annually.

'Maximized' indicates that the candidate not only improved efficiency but did so to the fullest extent. The revised bullet point includes specific figures that show significant cost reduction and tangible business benefits.

Replacing Cultivate with Amplified ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated brand recognition.

⤸

After: Amplified• Amplified brand recognition through a strategic marketing campaign, resulting in a 25% increase in social media followers and a 10% surge in product sales within 6 months.

The word 'Amplified' emphasizes enhancing something already existing to a greater level. Including numerical figures provides concrete evidence of how the candidate's actions directly lead to improved sales and increased brand visibility.

Replacing Cultivate with Expedited ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated customer transactions.

⤸

After: Expedited• Expedited customer transactions by streamlining processes, shaving off an average of 3 minutes per transaction and boosting customer satisfaction by 15%.

'Expedited' implies a faster and more efficient approach. The inclusion of time saved per transaction and the increase in satisfaction provides quantifiable proof of successful process improvement.

Replacing Cultivate with Pioneered ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated new ideas for the business.

⤸

After: Pioneered• Pioneered the implementation of three innovative sales strategies, driving a 30% boost in quarterly revenue.

I used 'Pioneered' to show the candidate’s ability to steer novel ideas in the company. The addition of specific numbers shows the positive impact of the new strategies.

Replacing Cultivate with Drove ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated project completion.

⤸

After: Drove• Drove the successful completion of five critical projects two weeks ahead of schedule, saving $50K in project costs.

'Drove' demonstrates the candidate's proactive approach. The restatement gives specifics on the number of projects completed, time saved, and related cost savings.

Replacing Cultivate with Consolidated ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated improved database management.

⤸

After: Consolidated• Consolidated the company database, improving data access speed by 35% and saving staff an estimated 10 hours per week.

The verb 'Consolidated' foregrounds efficiency and strategic improvements. By mentioning both the percentage improvement and time saved, the statement highlights tangible benefits of the candidate's input.

Replacing Cultivate with Galvanized ▾

Before: Cultivate

• Cultivated increased production output.

⤸

After: Galvanized• Galvanized production team to increase output by 18%, leading to a subsequent increase of $120K in monthly revenue.

'Galvanized' expresses the energizing impact of the candidate's initiative. Quantifiable improvement in output linked to increased revenue affirms the candidate’s positive impact on the company's bottom line.

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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