A reader writes:
Recently, on TikTok, there has been a big debate about if it’s okay to bring an iced coffee into an interview or not. Some people think it comes off immature or overly casual, like this is just a stop on your errands. Others think it is overly stiff to ask interviewees not to have a drink. I lean on the side of leaving the iced coffee at home or in the car, but what say you?
This has been all over my social media feed as well. Apparently (some) Zoomers refuse to believe anyone will judge them for bringing an iced coffee to an interview … but yeah, don’t bring the coffee (hot or cold).
This isn’t something that can be defended with logic; it’s about existing interview conventions. Plenty of interviewers won’t care, but quite a few will think that walking in with a Starbucks cup is too casual. There’s something about it that reads (to enough interviewers that it matters) as excessively casual, and also unprepared too (as in, why didn’t you have your coffee before the interview?).
To be clear, I’m not defending that point of view; I think it’s silly. If a bottle of water is fine (and it is), then why not coffee? But many things about interviewing conventions are silly, and you still need to work around them if you want a decent chance at the job.
Maybe in five years this convention will have changed entirely! It wouldn’t surprise me at all if that happens; it does feel like one of those things that will. But right now, you risk turning off a lot of interviewers.
I do want to note: I think it’s worth pushing back on conventions that don’t make any sense; I’ve been trying to do that with this site for years. If you’re an in-demand candidate who’s going to be inundated with offers and you want to take a stance on iced coffee, by all means do — I support you (although I’d also point out there are bigger issues with hiring practices to put on your priority list). But if that’s not the position you’re in and you just need a job, it makes no sense to stress about making a good impression in all the other ways job-seekers usually do (customizing your resume, polishing your cover letter, etc.) and then walk in with an iced coffee. There is a potential price to that, and you’re better off getting your coffee on your way home.
The post is it OK to bring an iced coffee to an interview? appeared first on Ask a Manager.
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