Actually this is entirely how I would expect to go about it. I recently looked into the way my alma mater hires IT folks and they give you a set of around 6 es

Actually this is entirely how I would expect to go about it. I recently looked into the way my alma mater hires IT folks and they give you a set of around 6 essay questions. Things like "Please tell me about two projects which best define your ability in terms of X." X might be network engineer, web developer, etc. For grins and giggles (and to help me figure out my hiring process) I went ahead and filled it out. The result was essentially the sort of portfolio that they were asking about. I do agree that you want to see someone's work but I don't think it needs to be an audition project. Even a properly done portfolio takes a bit of time to put together.