Different strokes for different folks, but I immediately dismiss any job posting that mentions contract to hire. Even if it's a 2 week trial. I have a mortgage to pay and regular expenses, and given I've had secure full-time development work for over a decade, I would never jump from a secure job to a contract position where a company does not have to offer benefits or even the courtesy of actually firing me so I can collect unemployment. If a company wants me to have wizard of oz style interviews, sure, I'll jump those hoops until I have an offer from a company I like. But I'm not going to sit in financial limbo while a company decides if I'm worth keeping or not.

Of course for someone just starting in the industry, or comfortable with contract work, this might be fine. But I imagine many SWEs have no interest in contract to hire for similar reasons.