I’ve always seen iced coffee as something everyone loves — I never expected it to be something that divides people. But one simple observation a TikToker has made has the internet buzzing, and not from caffeine. If you haven’t caught up on the iced coffee job interview debate, here’s what you need to know:
On Sept. 16, TikToker @caitlynrecruiter took to the social media platform to share something she’s noticed among her Gen Z candidates: they’re showing up to interviews with iced coffees in tow… and she’s not here for it. “It is perceived in my opinion — my hiring standpoint — that when you show up with an iced coffee or iced latte in hand, that this interview is just a stop on your list of errands for the day.”
She continued to explain her point of view: “It looks a little too casual for me,” she said. “Don’t show up with the iced coffee or iced latte. Save that for well before the interview or after the interview. It looks like you didn’t have time to finish your coffee before that.”
Since then, this poster’s take has caused a massive divide on the internet, with people debating whether it’s professional or not to bring coffee into a job interview.
On one hand, many people are agreeing with what the original poster is saying, with people taking to social media to agree that it is generally understood to be inappropriate to bring food or drinks to a job interview — and an iced coffee is no exception. They also point out that having a wet plastic cup of half melted iced coffee at an interview can be unprofessional. “As a person who has interviewed people, I judge any and every little single thing,” TikToker @c.hayesinc said in a video, going on to add: “It’s a wet cup. I don’t care if you have a sleeve that goes [around the cup], it’s a wet cup. Why are you walking around with the ice shaking and saying, ‘Hi, it’s nice to meet you?’” she continues.
And while some people who do agree with @caitlynrecruiter that something as small as having an iced coffee during an interview shouldn’t impact whether you get the job or not, they say that the decision isn’t left up to you and your opinion — it’s left up to whoever is interviewing you and decides to hire you.
But the debate has become bigger than weighing in on “right v wrong.” One TikToker pointed out how even being able to defend taking iced coffee to a job interview is a privileged take, and shows how white people and POC have different experiences in the world of professionalism. “You know who’s not defending bringing an iced coffee to an interview? People of color,” TikTok user @anacmichelle1 said. She further elaborated on her frustration saying that while white people simply have to worry about whether something as small as an iced coffee will impact how others perceive them, POC have to be extra careful about how they present themselves. “[White people] don’t have to go out of their way even though they have the skills and credentials to prove themselves. People of color can show up to a job interview with the skills, credentials and everything that is required of the job,” she said. “They can have all of that, and not be given the same grace that the next white person will. And that’s the truth.”
For many, it really is deeper than just a cup of coffee. “Standards of professionalism are set by systems of oppression,” TikTok user @tedkaczynskisgreatfriend said in a video. She went on to explain that the argument isn’t just about whether you are or aren’t allowed to bring coffee to a job interview — it’s about how sometimes, people are willing to assimilate to systems of oppression, as long as it benefits them, and claims this argument shows how we live in a society that values capitalism, power structures, and hierarchies.
Some people are even saying that this argument is ultimately rooted in misogyny, as iced coffee is often seen as a more “feminine” drink, and argue that if a man brought an iced coffee to a job interview, nothing would be said but if a woman does it, it’d impact her image. “If a man came in holding an iced coffee, [the recruiter] wouldn’t have thought anything of it,” TikTok user @evallday said. “In fact, she might’ve thought it was quirky. Let’s be real: Everything is about misogyny.”
And then there are those who believe — given the current state of the job market — that so many people are even getting to the interview stage in the first place. And when you think about it that way, it really puts things into perspective!