The situation is I apply to 4 jobs, 1 requests spec work requiring a couple days of dedicated time while the rest are happy with what's in my portfolio. That 1

The situation is I apply to 4 jobs, 1 requests spec work requiring a couple days of dedicated time while the rest are happy with what's in my portfolio. That 1 job is less of a priority compared to the others. The same applies to 8 hour interviews or multiple interviews. It might not be common place, but I've learned to ask upfront about the start-to-finish hiring process. I'm not saying its unwarranted or even a hidden cost to the business--just that it raises the burden and likely will filter out qualified candidates. I do think networking and shared experiences you mentioned should be thought about. That's often the best/cheapest way to get qualified candidates (why referral bonuses are a thing). If candidates are telling each other informally or on something like GlassDoor how onerous the interview process is, you have to compensate by reaching out with things like ads and job fairs and do the filtering yourself.