There are plenty of things to stress about before a job interview. Have you researched the company? Can you explain that weird three-month gap on your résumé? Will you remember literally anything you've ever done ever once someone asks you to tell them about yourself?
And now, apparently, there is another possible threat: iced coffee.
The discourse started after US recruiter Caitlin Wehniainen posted a TikTok saying candidates should stop bringing iced coffees and iced lattes to interviews because it can make the appointment seem like “a stop on your list of errands for the day”. The internet reacted as it does whenever someone suggests Gen Z may be doing adulthood incorrectly.
Evelina Samuels is the founder of Melbourne recruitment agency Samuels Donegan and she told PEDESTRIAN.TV she can see why some interviewers might take issue with it, although she says it is not really about the drink itself.
“I think it’s less about the coffee, it’s more about someone coming in and not really understanding the environment,” Samuels says.
“It’s probably that thought of, are they taking this a little bit too casually and not perhaps as seriously as what you would expect someone to take?”
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She says candidates do not need to show up in a suit or pretend to be somebody they are not. Still, she says an interview is a professional meeting, and first impressions can be quick and unfairly sticky.
“For some, the coffee might not be a problem, but I think for some it could,” she says. “It’s the same way that you wouldn’t walk in eating breakfast or having a snack.”
I get it. Nobody needs an ice cube loudly rolling around a plastic cup while they are trying to explain why they are passionate about spreadsheets. If you are really keen on the role, finishing your drink before you walk in is probably the safest call.
But I also don’t think you should be losing sleep over a company that is OTT about an iced latte. This feels a little like the workplace freak-outs we have already seen around tattoos, piercings and coloured hair. A person can have a visible tattoo, a septum ring or a cold brew and still be excellent at their job, I promise.
Unfortunately, we live in a capitalistic hellscape, so jobseekers cannot always afford to decide a company’s strange rules are too silly for them. In August, Australia’s employment-to-population ratio remained at 63.9 per cent and unemployment rose 0.2 percentage points to 4.6 per cent.
When applications are going unanswered and roles are competitive, people are understandably going to worry about tiny details that could put someone off. Which is annoying, because a plastic cup should not a personality test.
Samuels says part of the debate may come down to different expectations across the workforce.
“I actually think because of the generational piece, there could be a bit of a disconnect with what they think is appropriate versus what a Gen Z might think is appropriate,” she says.
However, she does not think every interview blunder should be pinned on Gen Z. Turning up late or looking disengaged can happen at any age. Her advice is simpler: know who you are meeting, research the organisation, be on time and stay present.
"Be on time, or even better be five minutes early,” she says. “It’s a great opportunity for you to sit in reception and just have a look around and see how people are engaging and what the vibes are.”
So yes, read the room and maybe finish the iced latte outside. But if holding a beverage is enough to write you off, I would be curious about what other harmless things that workplace treats like a crisis.
Lead image: TikTok / @littycity / @ariisaysso / @jalanagt
