I want to give credit where it's due. I was laid off due to Covid-19 and have been having a pretty rotten time interviewing, but TJ at Meltwater was so pleasant to deal with in contrast.
While I ultimately was not offered a job, it was so nice dealing with a hiring manager who was kind and moved through the process with integrity. He asked me to do an exercise, but it did not take an obscene amount of time and he promised it would not be used in any capacity by Meltwater.
In our follow-up conversation, he was very open about answering questions I had and also offered honest feedback about the assignment. He got back to me personally about his hiring decision.
HR, if you're reading this, candidate experiences like this cast your company in a favorable light overall.