900 apply to fill one baker vacancy at doughnut firm
MORE than 900 people have applied for a single position at a Derby-based luxury doughnut maker which says it is being inundated with requests for jobs.
Project D, which produces handmade artisan doughnuts, moved into a new bakery last month, a unit which is 11 times bigger than its previous home.
The expansion will allow the company to operate 24 hours a day, extend its home delivery routes nationwide, an undertaking that will require 100 new members of staff over the coming months.
Since May the company has recruited 26 new members of staff, taking the workforce to 54, but the directors have seen rising numbers of applicants every time a position is created. Most recently an advert for a bakery assistant received 900 letters of application in less than a week, while 711 applied to become a baker.
Co-director Max Poynton said: “We are being overwhelmed with applications every time we advertise, and it is noticeable that the numbers increase with each vacancy.
“We’re also getting plenty of applications from highly skilled catering professionals - with excellent experience. It’s clear this profession has been hit hard by lockdown and we assume that when the furlough scheme ends later in the year this situation will worsen.
“Of course, it’s great for Project D as we have been able to recruit some sensational new bakers, but it’s sad to receive so many CVs from people who have been laid off, seen their own business close or from graduates struggling to find a job.”
Project D has bucked the trend of city businesses struggling to stay afloat during the Covid pandemic. And while its shopping centre and university units may remain closed for the time being, the company has plans to open a flagship store in Leeds during 2021, as well as units in Manchester and London.
It currently delivers to doorsteps from Leeds to Birmingham, but during the next six months the routes will widen across the UK.
Max added: “It is almost impossible to reply to every applicant, because we have received so many.
“But obviously we will keep all the suitable CVs on file for future positions. We still struggle to keep up with demand for our doughnuts, so we intend to keep recruiting throughout the course of 2021.”