The first interview after lunch or the last of the day is not the easiest for the weary interviewer. Interviewing is extremely tiring because you are straining all your senses to build a coherent picture of the candidate. Active listening uses all the communication from eye cues, mirroring, the candidate's answers, and their application documentation to predict what they will say in response to your questions. Several hours interviewing is exhausting for anyone.

Active listening is not only essential if you are to get the most out of your candidates to reach an informed decision, but it is also an effective way to maintain your sharpness.

Listening can sometimes be a passive activity. You hear and try to make sense of what was said.

Active listening involves quickly thinking about what was just said and hypothesizing what the candidate will say next. The picture you are building of the candidate...