Box Shifts Hiring Process to Require Side Projects

Managers should consider replacing traditional case studies with hands-on AI prototyping to better vet technical candidate skills.

Updated on Oct. 22, 2026 in Job Search

Bold flat-color editorial illustration depicting a modular geometric template and mechanical joints, symbolizing modern technical assessment practices. — Box vice president Rand Wacker is transitioning the company's hiring process to favor hands-on AI prototyping over traditional academic-style case studies. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Do you believe personal side projects are necessary to advance in your professional career?

Box vice president Rand Wacker is shifting the company hiring process by requiring job candidates to showcase personal side projects. This approach prioritizes proven technical passion and AI literacy over traditional case studies.

Why it matters

As AI tools lower the barrier to software development, hiring managers are increasingly looking for tangible proof of skill rather than historical credentials. This pivot allows operators to assess practical problem-solving capabilities in real-time.

Rand Wacker, who brings 30 years of product and software experience to his role at Box, has moved away from standardized case studies to evaluate candidates. His current strategy focuses on assessing technical literacy through side projects.

The players

Rand Wacker

Vice president of product strategy at Box with a three-decade career in software and product development.

Box

Enterprise cloud content management and collaboration platform provider.

The details

Candidates are now asked to prototype ideas or build functional products to demonstrate their fluency with AI coding tools like Cursor. This shift reflects Wacker's own method of using AI-assisted development to build software, such as his recent Apple TV application designed to simplify movie selection. By moving away from traditional case studies, the hiring process aims to confirm that prospective employees can move from abstract concepts to a working product.

October 22, 2026: Rand Wacker shares updated hiring preferences.

Market Landscape

The transition to project-based assessment aligns with the rise of AI-integrated development environments like Cursor. This approach marks a clear departure from the traditional, static interview case studies that have long dominated professional technical recruiting.

Small business owners and hiring managers should consider whether their interview process effectively tests for practical application rather than theoretical knowledge. Assess if your current recruitment pipeline allows candidates to demonstrate technical literacy using modern AI tools.

The takeaway

Technical passion is increasingly measured by a candidate's ability to ship functional, self-initiated software. Operators should audit their own interview workflows to determine if they can integrate similar hands-on demonstrations into the vetting phase for technical hires.