With the addition of 573,000 nonfarm payroll jobs since December, American workers are feeling more optimistic about their employment prospects. Those who had all but given up their job searches have started to re-enter the job market, which accounted for the rise in the unemployment rate in April despite the positive job growth . Fewer job openings for job seekers also mean fewer interviews and it’s possible your once-sharp interview skills are now out of shape due to lack of practice. Today we have a guest blog from John Kador , author of the new second edition of “ 301 Best Questions to Ask On Your Interview ” Practice these before your next interview, which will hopefully come before you know it.  Interview the interviewer: 5 Rules for Framing Better Questions The landscape for job seekers today is more treacherous than at any time in recent memory. In other words, if you want a job today, you may actually have to work for it.  One way to really shine is by asking questions. Questions are the best way for you to demonstrate that you understand the company’s challenges, emphasize how you can help the company meet them, and show your interest in the most unmistakable manner possible — by actually asking for the position. These rules, excerpted from “ 301 Best Questions to Ask On Your Interview ” will help arm you with new interview questions and techniques for selling yourself and getting the job you want.  Here are five rules for framing questions that will put you in the best light.  1. Ask open-ended questions. Closed-ended questions can be answered “yes” or “no,” and begin with words such as “did,” “have,” “do,” “would” and “are.” Open-ended questions — usually begin with “how,” “when,” and “who” — create opportunities for a conversation and a much richer exchange of information. This is a closed question: Candidate: Does the company have a child-care center on-site? Interviewer: Yes. Open-ended question: Candidate: How does the company support working parents? Interviewer: Let me show you a brochure about our award-winning day care center located right here in the building. “Working Women” magazine recently rated it one of the top ten corporate day care centers in the U.S. . . . 2

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