If finding a job in today’s tough employment market is your top priority, you’re probably not concentrating very hard on “picking” a boss you really will enjoy working with. In fact, considering the times, probably any boss will do as long as you get the job.

But that may be very shortsighted: A vital ingredient of getting and keeping the job you want is working with a manager you can respect.

And the way to find out if the potential boss is the right one for you is to ask a lot of questions during the job interview – even though that may seem a bit pushy to most job hunters, who are aware they have little leverage in today’s hiring process.

But by asking questions, lots of them, you’ll be able to pick up important insights into the character of the boss and the organization – and you’ll also end up being a more impressive job candidate.

“You may not know it, but more offers are extended in an interview when the interviewer talks more than the interviewee – yes, that’s right,” according to career counselor Colleen A. Sabatino, author of “The Play of Your Life: Your Program For Finding the Career of Your Dreams – And a Step-by-Step Guide to Making It a Reality” (Rodale Books, $16.95).

“More offers are extended when you get interviewers to share about themselves and the company than when they spend their time listening to you talk about yourself.”

But is this the right job market to worry about selecting a boss?

“Every time is the right time for an employee to select a good boss,” said Richard S. Wellins, senior vice president of Development Dimensions International Inc., a global human resources firm based in Pittsburgh. It has 70 offices worldwide and 1,000 employees.

“My personal research shows that 56 percent of people who leave their jobs do so because of their boss,” added Wellins, who has a doctorate in social and industrial psychology. He has been in human resources since 1978.

“If you want a job you enjoy doing, the person you’re going to be working for is a key factor. And it’s even more important in a slow job market because, over the long haul, just working to earn a paycheck to feed your family might wear thin after a while.”

What should you look for in an employer? Wellins, who makes professional hiring decisions each year for clients, says the critical concerns are a boss who provides feedback, shares the values of the organization, inspires others and is a mentor and a coach.

The executive, who has a staff of 25, says he “never fails to be impressed by candidates who ask about me and the company. And I am unimpressed by those who don’t.”

Wellins suggest starting out by asking the interviewer: How do you develop people? How do you recognize or reward good work? How do you build teamwork? How do you delegate authority?

And finally, what would your colleagues say are your strengths and your weaknesses?

“These are legitimate questions to be asked,” emphasizes Wellins. “And you deserve honest answers.”

When he interviews for his own staff, Wellins finds that 50 percent of the candidates interview him right back.

“All other things being equal, asking me these questions is a plus – I’m not offended,” he said. “It shows this is a decision you care about, that the relationship with someone you’re going to be working for really matters – and I can only see that as elevating your candidacy.”