The first contact was through a recruitment agency, followed by a phone call with their team where they explained their peculiar process. They wanted to invite me to a full-day group interview at their premises with other candidates. It felt like a really big ask to spend a whole day out for a first interview. At the time I was an independent consultant and charged by the day, so this would have been a waste of my time. I also didn't think a group interview was appropriate for the seniority of the role, so I didn't pursue.