Is iced coffee ever appropriate in a job interview?

Coffee has long been been a flashpoint in generational discourse. Financial advisers have criticized millennials for their love of avocado toast and lattes, and now, recruiters are addressing Gen-Z’s love of bringing iced coffees to job interviews.

Last week on TikTok, a recruiter named Caitlin ignited a conversation about job interview norms when she criticized Gen-Z candidates who show up to interviews with these cold beverages.

"It is perceived, from my opinion, my hiring standpoint, that when you show up with an iced coffee or an iced latte, that this interview is just like a stop on your list of errands for the day. It looks like you went to Target, then you went to Starbucks, now you're stopping by your interview, then you're onto the next thing," Caitlin said. "It looks a little too casual to me."

Some agreed, saying it was basic etiquette not to bring iced coffee, while others said recruiters need to focus on more important traits — like reliability and experience — and that carrying an iced coffee shouldn't be a deal breaker since employers offer you a beverage anyways.

While the debate might sound silly, it's about professionalism during in-person interviews, said Megan Slabinski, district president and technology jobs expert with the talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half.

"It signals that there might be some cobwebs and things to dust off as it relates to in-person interviewing, and we might have a whole generation of job seekers who are not familiar with some of the best protocol and etiquette around in-person interviews," Slabinski said. (When it comes to the iced coffee debate, Slabinski said the drink is unprofessional and "there's lots of sources for distraction and disaster.” For example, the condensation will make your hand wet at a time when you're going to be shaking people's hands.)

But it also goes both ways. Slabinski said there are employers who are also out of practice who should give clearer instructions to job candidates about how they should dress and how the interview will be conducted.

Adjusting to a post-Zoom world

In an in-person interview, there are logistics you have to account for because you don't want to arrive in a disheveled or frantic state, Slabinski said. You have to think about how you're going to get to the interview and how much time it's going to take you to get there.

"You can't just roll out of bed. You've got to plan for it in advance," she said.

You also have to think about your body language and physicality during an interview, like not having gum in your mouth, having your phone out, arriving to the interview overheated because you were rushing, or being overly antsy, Slabinski said.

These are all things that Slabinski said she's witnessed firsthand as a hiring manager.

"Having your phone out on the desk or you know the table, etc. is probably the one that I experience most frequently, and it's just a sign of disengagement, or can be a sign of disrespect," Slabinski said.

You should have a notebook and pen to take notes during the interview, instead of taking notes on your phone, Slabinski said.

Slabinski said these are behaviors she's observed because job seekers are out of practice or because the people being interviewed don't have a lot of experience with in-person interviews.

At the same time, hiring managers should lead by example in terms of handshakes and eye contact, and they should set up the interviewee for success, Slabinski said.

"The ownership's on the employer to set clear expectations around timing of the interview, who they're going to meet with, how many people they're going to be meeting and what the nature of the interview might be like," Slabinski said. "If you have an office location that can be difficult to find, give instructions, give directions."

And employers should also be transparent about the company's dress code – if you expect professional dress, make that clear, Slabinski said.

"I think employers are probably also out of practice of walking through these simple logistics that can be really disconcerting, and prepping somebody in advance for the interview," Slabinski said.

Some norms have shifted over time

While there are still some rules job seekers have to follow from pre-pandemic times, some office etiquette and rules have become more flexible, like when it comes to dress code.

Just before the pandemic, financial firms like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley issued memos allowing employees to wear more casual apparel and footwear, like sneakers.

But it really depends on the company.

"Dress expectations aren't one-size-fits-all and can vary by company, role and industry. Business casual looks different at every organization, so employees should take cues from company culture, leadership and client expectations," Slabinski said.

Sometimes what's deemed acceptable depends on the current economic climate and the industry you're in.

"There's always a balance of power between employers and employees," said Ben Dattner, an organizational psychologist and the founder of Dattner Consulting, a workplace consulting firm. "When there's a supply-demand imbalance for certain kinds of skills, then the balance of power accrues to the employee, and he or she can let their freak flag fly."

During the dot-com boom, for example, employees had the power.

"If you were a Java programmer in 1999, you didn't have to bathe or shave or come to work. You could bring your dog. You could do whatever you wanted, and startups would still beg you to work for them," Dattner said. "After the dot-com crash, suddenly you did have to shave and bathe and come into the office, and they didn't want your dog there."