The Viral Debate About Iced Coffee At Job Interviews Is Splitting The Internet

The useful part

When you head into a job interview, you likely check to make sure you have certain things: a pen, a notepad, a copy of your CV, perhaps business cards. An iced coffee or an iced latte, according to TikTok user caitlinrecruiter, who posted a now-viral video about the topic. In the video, Caitlin said many of her Gen Z applicants bring iced coffee into job interviews, making the interview seem "just like a stop on your list of errands for the day", and the move "looks a little too casual to me".

How it works

• Others squarely disagree, saying it's a generational difference between Gen Z and older generations, with one social media user saying it's an example of hiring managers " turning into the boomers you hated".
• The remedy, she said, is having your iced coffee before or after your job interview – just not during.
• The internet is having a strong reaction to this video, with some people agreeing that, yes, this is an unprofessional move.
• Generational differences aside, it is unprofessional to bring a coffee (whether hot or iced) into a job interview, according to Diane Gottsman, a national etiquette expert and founder of the Protocol School...
• "The focus is to make a good first impression, and that means walking in competently, extending your hand for a handshake," Gottsman noted.

Details worth keeping

Caitlin is a self-described corporate recruiter for Fortune 500 companies. "When you go into a job interview, you are there for a job interview. You're not there to have coffee," Gottsman said.