Coffee has long been a flashpoint in generational discourse.
It used to be millennials’ avocado toast and lattes shutting them out of the housing market, now it’s Gen-Z’s apparent iced coffee habit keeping them out of the workforce.
"When you show up with an iced coffee or an iced latte [it shows me] that this interview is just like a stop on your list of errands for the day,” recruiter Caitlin Wehniainen said on TikTok. "It looks a little too casual to me."
Some agreed, saying it was basic etiquette, while others said recruiters should focus more on reliability and experience. Don’t many workplaces offer you a coffee at reception anyway?
While the debate might sound silly, it’s really about professionalism during in-person interviews, said Megan Slabinski at the 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," Slabinski said.
For what it’s worth, Slabinski thinks the iced coffee is unprofessional.
"There's lots of sources for distraction and disaster,” she said, like condensation giving you a clammy handshake.
But it also goes both ways, Slabinski said. Employers need to give clearer instructions around how they expect candidates to dress, and how the interview will be conducted. A lot has changed as workplaces emerge from the post-zoom world and the balance of power between employee and employer has shifted. | 
