What started as a conversation about job interview tips online escalated into a generational debate over whether it’s taboo to show up with an iced coffee to talk to a potential employer.
The discourse over the caffeinated beverage gained momentum on TikTok this week after a creator, who goes by @caitlinrecruiter on the platform, shared a video in which she said she believes “when you show up with an iced coffee or an iced latte that this interview is just a stop on your list of errands for the day.”
“It looks a little too casual to me,” she said in the video, which she posted September 16.
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Caitlin Wehniainen, whose profile states she has 16 years of recruiting experience, has just over 1000 followers on TikTok. But in the last week, her video has been clipped and recirculated by dozens of creators online, who engaged in a back-and-forth about whether she’s right.
The divide seemed to primarily be between younger and older users — with the former group suggesting Wehniainen’s tip “makes no sense at all” and that such a perspective is archaic.
Others, many who identified as Gen Xers in comments, agreed with Wehniainen, writing that “arguing against this is insane” and applicants that they should “save the iced coffee for when you actually get hired.”
By Monday, even the coffee giant Starbucks had taken a side, alluding to the debate in an Instagram post that featured an image of someone holding an iced coffee in one hand and sunglasses and their handbag in the other. “Pulling up to the interview like,” the caption read. Meanwhile, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, another coffee chain, commented on Wehniainen’s video: “We’d hire them on spot...”
When reached for comment on Friday, Wehniainen said in an email to NBC News that she was “shocked at how polarising the topic is.”
“But I realise that the original message was taken out of context as the virality of the post grew,” she wrote.
“As the topic spread, many decided to weigh in with their own general opinion on whether or not bringing an iced coffee into an interview is appropriate... I also saw people reading into it too much, asking if coffee or water matters and what is appropriate. I will say, I think a bottled water is great to bring with you.”
The timing of the conversation coincides with a tough job market: Recent college graduates are facing higher unemployment rates than other age groups as it’s becoming more difficult to obtain entry-level jobs, NBC News reported last month. Employers are not looking to add talent, and employed people are not moving to new positions, as a rise in AI continues to threaten jobs.
For Los Angeles-based TikTok creator Esha, who preferred to be identified by only her first name, citing privacy concerns, Wehniainen’s words couldn’t be further from the truth. She was among the many weighing in online, telling her 81,000-plus TikTok followers that “the iced coffee controversy completely misunderstands interviews.”
“Thinking of a job interview as a stop in your day is very normal,” Esha, 22, added in an interview with NBC News, noting that she’s brought iced coffees to several interviews and hasn’t thought twice about it.
“Gen Z had this shift in recent years, where we can still have a life outside of work,” Esha said. “So, like, why am I changing who I am? Why am I missing my coffee for the day for this interview?”
In her video, she elaborated further on her take, saying that “the most easily relatable thing in corporate America is a coffee addiction.”
“Unless you’re like over the age of 30 and you can relate on having kids, and doing stuff with your kids, coffee is the main thing. Everyone’s like, ‘Gotta get that coffee’... And finding something personable about a person is so important,” she said. “Like, who is not starting their workday off with a coffee?”
Catherine Fisher, vice president of communications at LinkedIn, said she’s not surprised by the generational divisions when it comes to job etiquette.
“Gen Z is entering this workforce at such a challenging time, it’s such a competitive job market, and to then get judged by bringing an iced coffee just seems like, ‘Have we lost the plot here?’” She said.
That said, Fisher is among the cohort who believes it’s best to skip the iced coffee when headed to an interview.
“Even though I don’t like the answer, I think because everyone is so divided on it, I would be cautious and not bring one,” she said. “You just don’t know who’s on the other side of the interview, so why risk it over something so silly?”
Etiquette expert Thomas Farley, who is known as Mister Manners to his followers online, agreed with the more traditional point of view.
“I think it sends the wrong message in so many respects,” he said. “I think it shows you to be someone who didn’t plan your time accordingly, and you’re multitasking, and that’s not what you should be doing during the interview.”
Farley also warned of the physical pratfalls a coffee could bring.
“There are real practical considerations when you bring a liquid into someone’s office,” he said. “Where does it go? What happens if you spill it?”
While he doesn’t think it should be the deciding factor for any hiring manager, Farley argued candidates should be doing everything in their power to leave a positive impression.
“If it’s between you and three other people, and everyone’s qualifications are more or less equal, and that’s the one thing that potentially sinks your chance to get the job, I think that would be really unfortunate,” he said. “That would be a very expensive $7 cup of iced coffee.”
Still, Gen Zers like Esha are not convinced that bringing the beverage would make or break their job opportunity.
As another TikTok creator put it in their video: “It’s really, really not that serious most of the time.”
As for Wehniainen? Even after the online objections, she said her “opinion still stands that you shouldn’t bring an iced coffee to your interview.”
“You want to leave outlying distractions like iced coffee behind,” she said, “and connect with your interviewer with full attention.”