The idea of bringing iced coffee to a job interview appears to have exposed a generational divide at work. Like the Wall Street Journal explains, the hubbub started with a TikTok video from Miami recruiter Caitlin Wehniainen about Gen Z candidates heading to in-person interviews over iced coffees or iced lattes. She cautioned that it seems “too casual”: In her opinion, candidates seem to treat the interview as another errand, as if they just stopped on their way home from Target. The post has since gone viral, sparking debate about what professionalism looks like today. On one side: recruiters and hiring managers who see the drink as sloppy optics: noisy straw, condensation, possible drips and generally unprofessional atmosphere.
On the other: younger candidates and some hiring managers who say judging someone’s readiness based on their drink is outdated at best. They note that many early-career workers have come of age on Zoom, with little training in old-fashioned interview etiquette, and argue that skills should trump choice of mug. “Go ahead, bring an iced coffee to your job interview,” reads the headline of an article by Maya Wilson at the Cut. Employees of different ages even debated the issue at Washington Post. Most experts fall somewhere in the middle, notes the Newspaper: Companies should make their expectations clear, candidates should “read the room,” and an iced coffee – while perhaps not the safest bet in a conservative setting – should not cost anyone a job.
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