Ghost Hiring Pipeline — A Masterclass in Wasting Candidates' Time
Position Applied For: Software Engineer (Junior/Mid-Level)
Location: Remote Interview Process
Where do I start. The very first interaction set the tone, the interviewer kept their camera off during a video interview while I had mine on. It’s a small thing, but it signals exactly how much respect BNSF has for candidates: none.
The technical assessment was Spring API work that was pitched as a junior-to-mid level role but was absolutely not scoped for that level. It felt deliberately designed to filter people out rather than actually evaluate fit. On top of that, I was given 7 days to complete the online assessment, then immediately pressured via email by the technical recruiter to finish it in 3 days. Why give a deadline you don’t intend to honor?
I received an automated rejection with zero feedback. Fine, that’s industry standard.
What’s NOT standard is receiving another assessment invitation 2-3 weeks later for a completely different backend/leetcode-style evaluation. I completed it in under 50 minutes, passed all checks, and then… silence. No follow-up, no rejection, nothing. Complete radio silence.
Reading through the majority of reviews here, I’m genuinely relieved I didn’t get the job. BNSF doesn’t appear to be actually hiring, they seem to be running candidates through assessment loops to generate internal metrics with zero intent to extend offers. It’s a bad-faith process that wastes engineers’ time and energy.
Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere.
Pros: Dodged a bullet
Cons: Disorganized recruiting, contradictory timelines, zero communication, performative hiring process
