A few months ago, job recruiter Caitlin Wehniainen shared why she thought the common Gen Z habit of bringing iced coffee to a job interview is unprofessional.
“It is perceived, from my opinion, my hiring standpoint, that when you show up with an iced coffee or an iced latte, that this interview is just like a stop on your list of errands for the day. It looks a little too casual to me,” said the job recruiter for mainly “buttoned-up” Fortune 500 companies, adding that job applicants only have 30-45 minutes to make a good first impression.
You can pry iced coffee from Gen Z’s cold, dead hands, Corporate America!
In true Gen Z fashion, their sarcastic response to this criticism has made their stance abundantly clear: they are not having it. Even if you don’t agree, you gotta laugh a little at their boldly unabashed attitude:
“But an interview IS just a stop in my day. It’s not my whole day.”
“Do you guys need employees or not”
“Noted, I’ll bring a Busch light next time.”
“Are you expecting the whole day to revolve around a 30 min meeting?”
“Jobs do not pay enough for me to care.”
“Why are we specifying iced coffee? Is it more acceptable to bring hot coffee?”
“Are they allowed to eat beforehand or is fasting also required to impress you.”
Honestly, the image of pounding coffee is so synonymous with hustle culture that one might assume Gen Zers think it makes them seem more professional to show up with a latte in tow. But as this funny clip shows, unforeseen logistical hiccups can follow: moist handshakes, stained resumes, the sound pollution of ice swirling and slurping…you get it.
Obviously, this debate is more than just about coffee
In truth, it’s a perfect example of the broader generational divide happening over proper workplace etiquette and what it means to be “professional.” That, and the debate over whether younger folks are “entitled,” which we know finds new life with every generation.
Of course, even fellow job recruiters have argued that if the right candidate walks through the door, “no iced coffee should deter their chances,” argued Angela Webber, the president of MsAngie LLC and a corporate communication strategist, according to Newsweek. “They are the generation of the future, and they are brilliant. I don’t think a cup of coffee should stand between a cup of coffee and a rock star employee.”
Still, as LA-based writer and actress Franchesca Ramsey pointed out on TikTok, Wehniainen spoke from a very specific perspective: working for high-level corporations. This is likely a very different setting from the job interviews most younger adults will attend, with very different expectations.
“Most of y’all are not the audience for this content because she wants these people to be hired, because then she makes money. She’s not telling y’all this to say that Gen Zs are lazy or stupid or unemployable,” Ramsey quipped.
Really, as with any debate between the age groups, we can’t expect anything to be settled.
Younger folks will always act in ways that challenge established norms, much to their predecessors’ dismay and bafflement. Gen Z just happens to be caffeinated while doing it.
And let’s face it: no matter how much we try to guide them on how the world works, they’ll shape it as they see fit.
