Would you carry an iced coffee to a job interview?
The query on the web’s lips this week began existence, as many do, in a TikTok video.
“Don’t waltz into your interview all casual with an iced coffee, it just looks like you didn’t have time to finish your coffee beforehand,” stated US recruiter Caitlin Wehniainen.
It’s what her Gen Z job applicants are doing, she stated, caution it makes it appear to be the interview is “just a stop on your list of errands for the day”.
The put up has began what Wehniainen calls the Great Iced Coffee Debate of 2026.
Some consider turning up with an iced matcha latte in hand is a cardinal sin. They say it is unprofessional, too casual, and a distraction.
Others really feel that is an overreaction – distracting from how tough it’s to protected a job – and even simply get an interview in the first position.
In a next RelatedIn put up, Wehniainen says she “was never saying that bringing coffee makes someone a bad candidate.
“My level used to be merely about heading off distractions.”