Bakery job applicants leave frustrated boss tearing his hair out

A furious bakery boss was left apparently tearing his hair out after only three of seven job hopefuls bothered to turn up for their interviews.

Paul Bowen, 29, runs father and son company Bowen Pies in Chorley, Lancashire, and had 80 applicants for a night baker role.

But Paul was left ranting and raving when he set aside an entire day to interview seven potential candidates and less than half showed up.

The boss appears to quite literally tear his hair out as Paul suddenly appears minus his wig – and blames it on the ‘f***ing messers’ from the job hunt.

The bakery boss hilariously pulled his wig from his head in the video which documented his growing frustration over three days

Paul Bowen, from Chorley in Lancashire, flung his wig from his head in frustration when only three of seven job applicants bothered to turn up for their interviews

 Recording his increasing rage over three days, the hilarious footage documents how another applicant is unsure he even wants to work nights.

One hopeful even called to say she couldn’t come for an interview until two months later – but still asked to be kept in the loop. 

At one point the boss is left so frustrated that he throws the phone back at its cradle in anger when yet another potential candidate pulls out. 

While the video is intended as a joke, Paul claims it was making a serious point as he believes the process for hiring gets worse every year with people failing to turn up or not really trying.

The video opens with Paul’s rant: ‘Right, I’m a bit bloody p***ed here. You know on Facebook and stuff like that people always say ‘there’s no jobs, you can’t get any jobs’?

‘I’ve put a job out right, I’ve had seven interviews lined up today. Guess how many have actually turned up?

‘I’ll tell you. Three. Three people out of the seven turned up. Waste of my time!’ 

Paul, who runs the business with with dad Vince, 58, said: ‘I filmed it because I often tell mates about people not turning up and they think I’m joking, they don’t believe me.

‘I personally think it’s getting worse. I think there is a culture of people not wanting to confront people or just be honest about things.

‘We hire every three to six months or so when we need to re-recruit but every time we do it I would say it is getting worse and worse.

‘I set aside the whole day and had seven interviews lined up. For each interview I printed off their CV, familiarised myself with it, prepped my questions for them. 

Paul recorded his increasing rage over three days - during which one applicant called to say she couldn't come in for her interview until two months later

Paul recorded his increasing rage over three days – during which one applicant called to say she couldn’t come in for her interview until two months later

The bakery boss got so frustrated he even pulled the wig from his head and blamed his hair loss on the legion of unreliable job applicants

Of the four missing applicants, only one called with an excuse - claiming his daughter was in hospital and his phone wouldn't work

The bakery boss got so frustrated he even pulled the wig from his head (left) and blamed his hair loss on the legion of unreliable job applicants

‘Just three out of seven turned up. I couldn’t believe it. 

‘I can’t put a price on how much my time is at work per hour but if you were to shell out £15 an hour for someone just to sit there you would be pretty p***ed off.

‘I didn’t hear from any of them who didn’t turn up apart from one who claimed his daughter was in hospital and his phone wouldn’t work – every excuse under the sun. I think his budgie had died too.’

The hilarious video, which was shared, liked and commented on more than 700 times, goes on to play a message left on Paul’s machine from a woman he had invited in for interview.

She can be heard mumbling that she cannot come in for interview for two months – but demands Paul let her ‘know what’s going on’.

Paul said: ‘Is she taking the p***? Why bother applying? There must be reasons but I have no idea.

‘One guy who did come in for interview and did well, I was about to call him back to offer him the job and he rang us back to say he had sorted something else.

Paul had no luck with the candidates who did show up, as when he thought he found the 'right guy for the job' he received a call saying the applicant was no longer available

Paul had no luck with the candidates who did show up, as when he thought he found the ‘right guy for the job’ he received a call saying the applicant was no longer available

‘To be fair, that wasn’t his fault. But I was so exasperated by that point and thought he was the right guy for the job that I was annoyed.

‘Another guy who came in for interview I asked him about the hours – but I shouldn’t really have to ask as it was on the job advert what the hours were and that it was a night job.

‘He was like “Oh well, I’ll have to let you know on that whether i can do that”. I was writing it down thinking “Is he for real?”

‘I just wanted to bang my head against the wall by that point. So he was out of the picture.

‘Anyone who comes in for interview I ring back and let them know even if they haven’t got the job as I like to thank them and so on.

‘But I thought I wasn’t even ringing that guy because he just frustrates me.’

One man who Paul hired for the role signed up and then failed to turn up – Paul claims he ‘dropped off the face of the earth’ and they have not heard from him since.

Thankfully, since recording the video a few weeks ago, Paul has since hired two new members of staff.

However he is dreading the next time he needs to interview again for fear that the situation will be the same.

Paul said: ‘Since then we have now hired two people. We have to hire two now just in case one doesn’t bother coming in, which is not what you want to do really.

‘A lot of people who commented said it was people on the dole and all this lot. I would say a good half of them applying actually already had jobs.

‘I don’t know if they are doing it as an ego boost to say “Oh, I’ve got a job offer”. Or maybe they using it as ammunition, or to feel good. I have no idea.

‘I think this is getting more and more regular and that’s why I recorded it on this occasion.’

Despite the stress of hiring, Bowens Pies have gone from strength to strength and have gone from selling around 4,000 pies a week a decade ago to 20,000 a week today.

Paul became a viral hit last year when he filmed his excitement at getting a new wig and documented the dramatic change it had for his previously bald head in another comedic video that racked up more than 15million views. 



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