Iced coffee at job interviews sparks debate over first impressions

An iced coffee has become the unlikely focus of a debate over job interviews after a U.S. recruiter warned that carrying one into a meeting can make an applicant look too casual. Job seekers and hiring specialists have since split over whether the drink says anything meaningful about a candidate.

Caitlin Wehniainen said in a TikTok video posted Sept. 16 that arriving with an iced coffee or latte can suggest “this interview is just a stop on your list of errands for the day.” She called it “a little too casual.” Her video was clipped and recirculated by other creators, according to NBC News, drawing objections from younger users and support from some commenters who identified as Gen Xers.

Wehniainen later told NBC News she was “shocked at how polarizing the topic is” and felt her original message had been taken out of context. In a LinkedIn post cited by the BBC, she said she “was never saying that bringing coffee makes someone a bad candidate. My point was simply about avoiding distractions.” She nevertheless stood by her advice not to bring an iced coffee, telling NBC News applicants should give interviewers their full attention. She said bottled water was fine.

Esha, a 22-year-old Los Angeles TikTok creator, sees it differently. She told NBC News she has taken iced coffees to several interviews without thinking twice. “Thinking of a job interview as a stop in your day is very normal,” she said, arguing that applicants need not give up ordinary parts of their day to appear serious about work.

Others told the BBC that the drink should not outweigh what a candidate says. Tsvetina, 24, said employers should move away from judging applicants by traditional corporate expectations about appearance. Aisha, 28, said she would bring an iced coffee and thought it could show she had arrived early enough to buy one. Katy, a 25-year-old personal assistant, said she would leave hers behind but considered the controversy “a bit sexist,” arguing that iced coffee is more often associated with women than hot coffee.

Hiring specialists offered different advice. LinkedIn communications vice president Catherine Fisher told NBC News she understood why younger applicants would resent being judged over a drink, particularly in a competitive job market. But because interviewers may disagree, she said she would avoid bringing one: “Why risk it over something so silly?” Etiquette expert Thomas Farley also warned NBC News that a drink can distract from an interview or spill.

Dan Craddock, a director at Hays, cautioned against the opposite mistake. “It’s important not to read too much into a single item a candidate brings to an interview,” he told the BBC, saying employers should assess skills, experience and behaviour. London recruiter Lucy Cooper told the BBC that junior candidates in her field were unlikely to risk appearing “too relaxed and a little bit flippant.”

The argument comes as younger job seekers face a difficult market. NBC News reported that recent U.S. college graduates face higher unemployment rates than other age groups. In the UK, graduate vacancies have almost halved in the past year, the BBC reported, as employers reduce entry-level roles amid rising costs and a shift toward AI.