Have you ever bought a car from a truly sharp automobile salesperson? You might have noticed that they dont ask questions such as Do you want to buy this car? since a potential answer is No. Instead they ask, Which color would you like, red or blue? or Would you rather have the automatic or manual transmission? Why? Because the only answer options are positive. Do the same thing in your job search. Dont ask: Can we get together for an interview? Instead, ask: I have Wednesday and Thursday afternoon open for us to meet. Which day would work better for you?

By giving a choice of two or more positive responses, you greatly increase the odds that you will get a positive response. Give them choices, but make them positive choices.