Over 70,000 people have applied to work at my bridesmaid-for-hire business - here's how I decide who to hire

• Jen Glantz is an entrepreneur and founder of the company Bridesmaid for Hire.
• Since starting her business in 2014, Glantz has fielded over 70,000 applications from paid bridesmaid hopefuls.
• Glantz says she scans applications quickly for key details, and then conducts a long interview process to get to know each candidate.

Soon after I started my business Bridesmaid for Hire, clients were requesting something I truly wasn't prepared to offer. I was the world's first person offering a service where brides could hire me to show up at their wedding, pretend to know them from some point in their life, and be their bridesmaid for the day. All of a sudden, clients were asking if they could hire me and additional professional bridesmaids as well.

I was a solo-preneur and didn't know how to hire a team for a job that I'd just invented. So, I decided to start by simply sharing the news that I was hiring people on social media and my website. After only a few weeks, I received thousands of job applications from people all over the world.

Over six years after starting this business, I've had over 70,000 people apply to work for me. I've both hired and fired over the years - the job isn't as glamorous or as easy as it looks. I even found a way to monetize the audience of people who were interested in working for me and bring in an additional revenue stream for my business.

Now, I have a streamlined hiring process. Here's how I vet and select applicants to join my small business.

Scanning applications for key details

With thousands of people applying to work for my company every month, going through each application is nearly impossible. To organize the hiring process, I scan the applications for key details and keywords that are applicable to what kind of experience the ideal candidate should have.

While a lot of people think the number one job requirement to work for my company is that they've been a bridesmaid a handful of times, it actually isn't something I weigh heavily in my vetting process.

Instead, I like to find people who have experience in sales (so they have top communication skills and the ability to read and react to situations), working in high-stress environments (because what wedding isn't high-stress?), and work well with groups of people (whether they've managed teams or worked one-on-one with lots of people before).

Even though thousands of people apply monthly, only a handful of applicants end up being considered.

When you're hiring for a position, it's important to be clear on what skills are must-haves and what experience is non-negotiable versus simply a plus. It will make the hiring process easier and more efficient.

Conducting interviews and in-person tests

The job of being a professional bridesmaid at a strangers wedding is more of a complex role than you'd imagine. You're not only a part of the bridal party, you're also working as the bride's personal assistant, on-call therapist, social director, and wedding peacekeeper. Hiring for this role means that the interview process has to be in-depth and oftentimes, in person.

Round one is a video call where I assess the person's personality, experience, and overall passion for the job. During this round, most people express more of an interest in working as a professional bridesmaid for the perks and the party, so 90% of people don't make it past this round.

Round two is a test where the candidate is given multiple real-life wedding scenarios and asked how they'd handle them. The candidates that don't make the cut here are often shocked by these questions and unsure of what to do, while the best candidates bring creativity and problem solving techniques to the table.

Round three, which very few people make it to, involves an in-person meeting and social situation test. This is the stage where I'll spend quality time getting to know a candidate. A lot can be known about a person, their habits, and their unique value by spending time with them. By this stage, after a day or two of hanging out with the person, I'll make my final decision on whether or not they are hired. Usually, more than 90% of people I meet in person will not make it past this round.

Creating a money-making course

Even though over 70,000 people have applied to work for my company, my hiring rate is very low. If 10 people a year make it to round three, only one might be hired. Because of that, I realized I had to find another way to meet a major need of a large audience of people who wanted to work for my company.

In many applications, there were mentions of wanting to work a cool job, be their own boss, and move away from their current career. Since I knew I couldn't hire all of these people, I decided to find a way to service these needs.

Four years ago, I created an online training course that helps any interested applicants learn how to start a side hustle in the wedding industry. Not only do they get the behind-the-scenes details on my business (from pricing to marketing strategies) but they get the tools they need to start their own company.

This course has allowed me to create another popular revenue stream for my business, while also providing a service that benefits this audience immensely.

Hiring for your company can be tricky, especially if the role is unique. If you do get an influx of candidates that you can't hire, finding an offering or product that can help them get a different opportunity might be a beneficial way to help them and help you scale your company.