{"id":636103,"date":"2026-09-25T23:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T23:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/636103\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T23:40:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T23:40:11","slug":"the-question-dividing-the-internet-can-you-bring-iced-coffee-to-an-interview-its-complicated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/636103\/","title":{"rendered":"The question dividing the internet: can you bring iced coffee to an interview? It’s complicated…"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE INTERNET HAS spent the week furiously debating what is apparently now one of the great workplace questions of our day.<\/p>\n

No, not AI replacing your job. Not working from home. Not even the glorious four-day week. It\u2019s whether you could, would or should bring an iced coffee to a job interview.<\/p>\n

What began as fairly innocuous advice from a recruiter has now encompassed the moral fibre of Gen Z, its work ethic, corporate etiquette and, in one Irish contribution, whether society is \u201cdecadently\u201d rejecting work.<\/p>\n

Grab a coffee, this will take a minute.\n<\/p>\n

What started all of this?<\/p>\n

US recruiter Caitlin Wehniainen<\/a>, who says she has 16 years\u2019 experience largely working with \u201csuper buttoned-up\u201d Fortune 500 companies, posted a TikTok advising Gen Z candidates not to arrive at interviews clutching iced coffees.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you show up with an iced coffee or an iced latte, it says that the interview is just a stop on your list of errands for the day,\u201d Wehniainen said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks like you went to Target, you went to Starbucks, now you\u2019re stopping by your interview.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finish the coffee beforehand, Wehniainen advised.<\/p>\n

Seems pretty harmless. Everyone took it well?<\/p>\n

Absolutely not.<\/p>\n

As The Guardian<\/a>\u00a0documented, one commenter insisted: \u201cProfessional millennial here. I would never show up with a drink in my hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another declared that Gen Z had \u201clost the art of professionalism\u201d.<\/p>\n

The younger side had rather different questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut an interview IS just a stop on my day,\u201d read one response.<\/p>\n

Another: \u201cDo you guys need employees or not?\u201d<\/p>\n

What do actual recruiters think?<\/p>\n

They can\u2019t agree either.<\/p>\n

Ashley Daugherty of recruitment company Randstad told Fortune<\/a>: \u201cIt isn\u2019t really about coffee. It\u2019s about who gets to define \u2018professional\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"woman-holding-iced-drink-on-a-sunny-day-in-the-city\"
\n File photo. Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n

Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n

Trent Cotton of recruitment software firm iCIMS argued that if a company thinks holding a latte means somebody isn\u2019t serious about their career, it is \u201cmajoring in the minors\u201d.<\/p>\n

His advice? \u201cBring the coffee. Ask the harder questions too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others were more cautious. Amanda Augustine told Business Insider<\/a> that there are boringly practical reasons to ditch it: condensation can leave you with a wet hand before a handshake and, of course, you could spill the thing.<\/p>\n

Talent expert Steve Levy had a simpler response: \u201cDid you bring some for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

And social media remained calm and reasonable from there?<\/p>\n

You know the answer.<\/p>\n

One person asked Reddit yesterday whether they should bring an iced coffee to an upcoming medical school interview<\/a>, and whether they should bring one for the interviewer too.<\/p>\n

One response suggested: \u201cAssert dominance and make it Irish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another advised emailing ahead to ask for the interviewer\u2019s order.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere on Reddit, one commenter summed up the other side: \u201cAll due respect, you can\u2019t hold off on that coffee for 30-60 minutes?\u201d<\/p>\n

suing the nhs for not letting me take an iced coffee into the mri machine<\/p>\n

\u2014 big duntles (@biglunty) September 23, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

Even Starbucks joined in, posting an image on\u00a0Instagram<\/a> of someone clutching an iced drink with the caption: \u201cpulling up to the interview like\u201d.<\/p>\n

Then the columnists arrived?<\/p>\n

Of course they did.<\/p>\n

The Guardian devoted one of its Pass Notes<\/a> to \u201cthe great iced coffee debate\u201d, while Bon App\u00e9tit<\/a> weighed in under the headline: \u201cMaybe Don\u2019t Bring Your Iced Coffee to a Job Interview.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Ireland has made its contribution too.<\/p>\n

Writing in The Irish Times<\/a> yesterday, Finn McRedmond argued that the coffee controversy, while \u201ca frivolous example\u201d, was part of a wider debate about Gen Z\u2019s relationship with work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I hear about the need to maintain a healthy work-life balance,\u201d McRedmond wrote, \u201cI always wonder why no one ever realises it might just mean they ought to work more.\u201d<\/p>\n

She ultimately argued that work is valuable \u201cin and of itself\u201d, warning that any generation which \u201cdecadently rejects it\u201d could learn that lesson the hard way.<\/p>\n

Again, this all started with an iced coffee.<\/p>\n

What does The Journal newsroom think?<\/p>\n

In the interests of rigorous journalism, we conducted our own snap poll.<\/p>\n

\"odessa-ukraine-july-15-2024-cityscape-during-the-war-with-russia-buildings-in-odessa-are-the-target-of-russian-missiles-and-people-are-on-the-str\"
\n File photo. Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n

Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n

Asked whether it was okay to bring an iced coffee to a job interview, six votes were cast for \u201cyes\u201d, six for \u201cI couldn\u2019t care less\u201d and two for \u201cno\u201d. People could vote for more than one option.<\/p>\n

One editor, who estimated they had conducted a few hundred interviews, felt people were \u201creading way too much into it\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople do way worse things than bringing a drink in,\u201d they said. \u201cIf they have their own coffee then you don\u2019t have to offer them a drink!\u201d<\/p>\n

There was, however, a limit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeirdly, I would have an issue with someone bringing in a can of Coke. It would feel chaotic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those opposed had their reasons too.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wouldn\u2019t alone prevent me from hiring someone, but you haven\u2019t been invited to a social event, i.e. having a coffee with someone, so it\u2019s just rude to act like you have,\u201d one colleague said.<\/p>\n

Another said: \u201cIced coffees have a frivolous vibe and in an interview you are there to show you can do work, so you don\u2019t bring non-work props.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the same way you don\u2019t wear jeans. It\u2019s just about showing that you understand the assignment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another colleague remained unconvinced: \u201cNot hiring someone because they have a little sip during an interview is crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for why iced coffee specifically? One colleague had a theory: \u201cI\u2019m thinking people associate iced coffee with Gen Z notions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fine. But should I bring one to my next interview?<\/p>\n

Probably not, if only because you now know there is a non-zero chance the person sitting opposite you has spent this week developing extremely strong feelings about it.<\/p>\n

Finish it outside, wipe the condensation off your hand, walk in and get the job.<\/p>\n

Who cares. Apparently getting the job is the easy part.<\/p>\n

Do you think it\u2019s OK for people to bring an iced coffee to a job interview?<\/p>\n

\n Poll Results:<\/p>\n

I could not care less (49)<\/p>\n

Yes, but I personally wouldn’t do it (41)<\/p>\n

Maybe if it was a hot coffee (9)<\/p>\n