To Bring or Not to Bring: Can A Coffee Ruin Your Interview?

What started as a job recruiter on TikTok claiming that bringing a coffee to an interview is unprofessional has now led to a large discourse on the platform: does bringing a coffee show the interviewer that you have strong time management skills, or does it look unprofessional? 

The unprofessional argument offers multiple components— the casualness it signals, interfering with the interviewer being able to host you, a distraction point during the interview and the bad etiquette of not bringing the interviewer a coffee. 

The casualness it signals

To many job recruiters, grabbing a coffee is an indicator that the interviewee sees their talk as casual. 

Picking up a coffee is something you do before going to run errands, hanging out with friends or going about your day, so bringing a coffee to an interview brings about the idea that you consider this interview a casual pitstop or errand in your day.

When attending an interview, the priority should be making an eloquent first impression, not proving to the recruiter that you’re able to manage your time by making a quick stop for a coffee.

Instead, a better way to demonstrate your timeliness could be showing up to the interview 10-15 minutes before its commencement— coffee can wait. 

Interfering with the interviewer being able to host you

The interviewer’s first greeting often follows the offering of a coffee or beverage. The opportunity to ask, “Could I get you anything to drink?” serves as a casual conversation starter with the interviewer before the more formal conversation begins. Bringing a coffee into an interview eliminates that element and prevents the occurrence of a casual human interaction before the interview starts. 

A distraction point

The combination of nervousness during the interview and the awkwardness of not knowing where to place your coffee may create a distraction. The job candidate might ask themselves, “Where should I place my coffee? Should I hold it, creating the possibility of making loud noises with my drink, or should I leave a ring of condensation on the desk?” 

The internal questioning prevents one from being able to be fully present during the interview. Additionally, fidgeting with a drink may distract the interviewer and potentially make them uncomfortable because they do not have a drink of their own to sip on. 

Bad etiquette 

Take into consideration the proper etiquette of waiting at the dinner table for everyone to get their food before starting to eat— should you be drinking a coffee in front of someone who is empty-handed? 

If you had offered to bring a coffee for the interviewer and that request was denied, the conversation about it being acceptable could be open. However, in most cases, the interviewee is only thinking about making a coffee stop for themselves. 

To the interviewer, this could indicate that the job candidate may disregard the etiquette of not eating or drinking in front of someone who isn’t doing the same, coming off as careless. In the job industry, recruiters often move on from candidates who demonstrate these qualities and look for someone who is well-mannered and present in the moment. 

Is there a possibility of making coffee at an interview a positive thing? 

However, the discussion does present the argument that bringing a coffee to an interview could demonstrate to the interviewer that you are well-mannered, timely, and organized. 

By showing up to the interview with two coffees— a personal one and one for the interviewer— it can show consideration for others and a desire to do nice things for even those who we may not know. Depending on the job industry, this could highlight a positive quality which a company may be searching for. 

Additionally, if you are stern about bringing in a coffee, placing it down on a personal napkin and letting it sit during the interview prevents it from being a distraction to both parties and avoids the awkwardness of having to clean up the drink’s condensation. 

Even then, is bringing a coffee to an interview worth the potential loss of a job? If you’re planning on letting it sit there and either melt or get cold, it might be best to just reward yourself with a celebratory coffee at the end of the interview. 

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