Think about having a job interview. You wake up early, feeling stressed, and rush out of home. But then you realize you need an iced coffee. Would you grab one before the interview and bring it with you? Or skip it that day in fear that showing up to a professional place of work with a coffee in hand might not be the best look? For some people, it might seem like a completely normal thing to do before starting an important day. For others, showing up to an interview with a drink in hand could send the wrong message about how seriously you take the opportunity. Well, that simple question has sparked a debate about what professionalism really means.
Why are people talking about iced coffee in job interviews on TikTok?
But where did the conversation start? Caitlin, a recruiter who posts as @caitlinrecruiter, posted a TikTok video on September 16. Her TikTok bio lists 16 years of experience in recruiting. She started the video by saying that Gen Z candidates are showing up to interviews with an iced coffee in hand. In her experience working for “Fortune 500, super buttoned-up corporations,” coming to an interview with an iced coffee can seem too casual and not serious enough. She compared it to going through a normal day of errands, like stopping at Target, grabbing a coffee from Starbucks, and then heading to an interview. For her, bringing the coffee can make the interview seem like just another stop in the day rather than an important opportunity.
What has the response been?
Some people agreed with Caitlin and wrote comments on the video. “This comment section proves that generation has lost the art of professionalism,” one person said. Another said, “Maybe I’m old but I agree this is inappropriate, I would never walk into an interview with a water bottle or coffee, especially not in a professional/executive situation.”
Others pushed back against this idea. The account @expertinterviewers posted a response video on TikTok arguing that candidates should be evaluated based on right criteria, rather than small details like whether they bring a coffee to an interview. The creator also criticized employers, saying “If it would feel weird if a candidate did it to you, don’t do it to them.”
Some of these reaction and parody videos attracted millions of views, showing just how quickly the conversation spread. One of these creators was @temi_adeo, who posted a parody response on September 18. Instead of taking the iced coffee debate seriously, she flipped the argument on its head, joking that drinking Four Loko while making eye contact with the hiring manager could make a candidate look “innovative.” Her video has received more than 2.3 million views so far.
At the end of the day, the iced coffee itself may not be the biggest issue. Something as small as bringing a coffee to an interview has revealed how differently people define professionalism. Some people see it as unprofessional, while others believe candidates should be evaluated based on the skills and qualifications that actually matter for the job. Hopefully, one day, everyone can enjoy a coffee while working at a job they love.