This article was written by Robert Galford, Managing Partner of the Center for Leading Organizations, is a Leadership Fellow in Executive Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. It was originally posted on HBR Blog Network.

While the holiday season may be behind us, the peak season for exchanging gifts and messages is not over. Not by a long shot. For many companies, it’s salary and performance review time. It’s bonus time. It’s profit-sharing time.These anxiety-provoking milestones are filling your organization’s calendar even as you read this, and they will continue to do so for at least the next few months. And there is plenty of anxiety to go around, affecting both providers and recipients of such tidings. What does this signify? What are they telling me here? What does it say about how I am valued?

For the feedback providers among us, there is ample available advice on how best to proffer messages and to ensure their effective delivery. However, there’s far less guidance to help us when we are on the receiving end of these “gifts” (after all, aren’t we always hearing how feedback is a gift?).

The purpose of this post is to start a conversation among us, to consider how best to take in the feedback messages we receive — not just at this time of year, but all the time.

Here are four ways to become better at receiving — and implementing — feedback:

1. Relax. Nervous going in? Even a little? Of course you are. There’s an imbalance of power, information and preparation from moment one. The providers of your feedback spent at least some time gathering data, synthesizing it, and formulating the message. Even if they prepared it all by themselves, it was probably part of a broader organizational effort involving multiple inputs from a number of people. And you? You’re going in with none of that information. Given that imbalance, why would you possibly expect not to be even a little nervous? Give yourself a break. Relax. Unless you’re already in trouble, there will be no trapdoor under your chair.

2. Prepare yourself to hear one or more unexpected “somethings”

a. Something you did or didn’t do, that you had no idea was even on the radar screen as a factor or an issue.
b. Something that was a bigger deal than you thought. Or a smaller one. And the consequences or impact in the feedback message seems disproportionate.
c. Something that could or should have been addressed with you weeks or months earlier.
d. Something that you thought had already been resolved or improved upon.

3. If you don’t agree with the feedback, don’t launch into a defense right away. As you listen, hold that thought and hold your tongue! Force yourself not to form a conclusion or communicate a response too quickly, and maybe not even in the course of the conversation. You’ve spent zero time on absorbing and interpreting the data at this point. Apply the following filters:

a. Put it in absolute context first. Even if you are disappointed that it’s not the biggest bonus ever, or you didn’t “Exceed Expectations” in every category, or you discover your nemesis received the equivalent of the Nobel Prize, what’s the summary message to you? Is it more valid than not? More positive than negative? Was it mostly on-target?
b. Figure out how to use what you have heard. As a result of this feedback, do you know what you can or should do the same or differently going forward?

While a few on-the-spot questions are OK, finding your own version of “I’m guessing it’s OK for me to come back to you if I have more questions” is a better approach.

4. When it’s over:

a. Thank them sincerely for their time and thoughts, regardless of whether you were thrilled with their message or their delivery. Unless they were bored or rude, it required some work on their part.
b. Reflect on the overall message, and what it conveyed. If you are contemplating a campaign to prove you were right on some specific point, consider that it might ultimately be more helpful to focus on the broader takeaway and what it will require to do as well or better next time.
c. Don’t just file it and forget it. Look at it again in a few months, and see how you’re doing.

Finally, remember this was but a single piece or episode of feedback. If you’re lucky, you’ll receive many more.

Now, what’s your feedback on receiving feedback?

It may seem like getting your resume to stand out is like finding a needle in a haystack – challenging, yet somewhat possible.  But what if you made a few small changes to your resume that would make your future employer give you a second look, and pick up the phone to schedule an interview.

Here are few tips for getting your resume to stand out:

First, always have someone review your resume before sending it out. Misspelled words, mixed tenses, and even fragments can be a deterrent to your future employer. And, when we write our own resume, it’s hard to see what needs to be changed. Even common words like “the” can easily get misspelled and our untrained eye just doesn’t catch those very small mistakes. Misspelled words are the first thing to get your resume sent to the bottom of the stack.

Second, think creatively. Use color, shading, and borders where appropriate. Of course, don’t overuse these functions, but even a small amount will catch the reader’s eye and direct their attention to what you want them to read and notice on your resume. On the flip side, keep your different fonts to a minimum. At most, work with two different fonts and no more.

Third, write how you speak. When candidates write their resumes they tend to use “flowery” language, and not at all how they would communicate something in person. Don’t “fluff” your experience with wording, instead clearly outline exactly what it is you have done in your past positions. Plus, put more emphasis on your accomplishments and what benefit you brought to your past positions. Read your resume out loud to ensure that each line makes sense and reads clearly.

Lastly, add recommendations from past employers. If you’ve retrieved written recommendations from employers in the past, or even through sites like LinkedIn, use those recommendations on your resume. It’s a great way to showcase that people support you and your work. It also gives the resume reviewer a sample of how people feel about you without having to do research or make phone calls to past employers.

These are just a few things to help your resume stand out. Just remember, you want your resume to represent who you are. The more clearly and accurately a resume represents your style, work experience, and qualifications, the more likely you are to get a call back.