Checking out their projects (if they have any and volunteer them) is fine. Just as long as we don't expect them to have said projects.

I can see the argument for a candidate seeking their first job in IT needing to distinguish themselves from the rest of the crowd and how a couple of well-executed projects can help with that. However, it's unfair to expect that any candidate must have projects, especially if they're already in employment elsewhere - few of us have the time or the energy to put into projects of passion after we've done our 40 hours and taken care of other priorities.