Back when I was a college graduate on the hunt for a job, the idea of bringing iced coffee to an interview wasn’t even a topic of discussion.
The only beverage I carried into a job interview was the one the receptionist handed me or the one I drank on my way there.
So when conversations about Gen Z candidates showing up with iced coffee took over my timeline this month, part of me nodded along. The other part wondered why we are still grading young people rather than focusing on what they can bring to the table for your company.
@caitlinrecruiter Coffee & interviews … finish it beforehand 😅
♬ Rain on the Spool – Jazz Rocks Triangle
The debate started when Caitlin Wehniainen, a recruiter who says she has 16 years of Fortune 500 hiring experience, warned that walking in with iced coffee makes the interview look like “just one stop on your list of errands.”
It can spill on your résumé. The ice rattles while you talk. It can signal that you did not treat the moment as important. A drink tells an employer nothing about whether you can do the job, and for a nervous candidate, it can be something steady to hold on to, the same way a glass of water would be.
I understand both sides, and I still would not bring the cup.
I am a millennial. I was raised to be on my p’s and q’s. I researched the company before I walked in, kept steady eye contact, stayed friendly without getting too familiar, and made sure the interviewer knew the value I would bring. When I interviewed at predominantly white organizations, I knew I had to be twice as good as every other applicant for the same job. Nothing could look more careless.
But I also know where that old playbook led. We were told to get the job, keep our heads down, work smart, and climb. Many people did exactly that and ended up burned out, underpaid, and loyal to companies that never returned the favor.
Gen Z watched that happen and chose differently. They log off when the shift ends instead of staying late to look busy. They expect extra pay or credit for work beyond their job description.
What older generations call lazy is often a refusal to give unpaid hours to employers that offer no long-term security or fair salaries in return. I respect that.
In a 2024 ResumeBuilder survey of 782 hiring managers, 94% reported seeing a Gen Z candidate behave inappropriately during an interview, citing poor eye contact, inappropriate attire, and weak communication. Some of it traces back to a pandemic that sent many of them through school and first jobs on Zoom, far from any office. That context explains the gap.
So, here is my advice to Gen Z: Finish the coffee in the car. A cup does not define you, but an interview is a short window. Control every minute of it.
And to hiring managers, if the candidate across from you is sharp, prepared, and qualified, judge the answers, not the beverage. This generation is rewriting the rules of work, and much of what it asks for is what the rest of us needed all along.
