The question on the internet's lips this week started life, as many do, in a TikTok video. "Don't waltz into your interview all casual with an iced coffee, it just looks like you didn't have time to finish your coffee beforehand," said US recruiter Caitlin Wehniainen. It's what her Gen Z job candidates are doing, she said, warning it makes it look like the interview is "just a stop on your list of errands for the day".
The post has started what Wehniainen calls the Great Iced Coffee Debate of 2026. Some believe turning up with an iced matcha latte in hand is a cardinal sin. They say it's unprofessional, too informal, and a distraction.
Others feel this is an overreaction - distracting from how difficult it is to secure a job - or even just get an interview in the first place. In a subsequent LinkedIn post, Wehniainen says she "was never saying that bringing coffee makes someone a bad candidate. "My point was simply about avoiding distractions." Hanad, 28, works for an energy supplier in London.
He likes iced coffee but wouldn't bring one to an interview. "A job interview is all about first impressions," he says. "Anything can deter the employer from employing you.
"Iced coffee is something a lot of teens drink… it would look immature and too informal." He would never bring along an energy drink for the same reasons. But he says water or a hot coffee would be okay. His colleague Tsvetina, 24, thinks a potential employee shouldn't be judged by what they bring to the interview, nor their dress code.
"I think we should be moving away from these traditional corporate stigmas. What matters is what the person is actually communicating during the interview." Aisha, 28, says she would take along an iced coffee. "I think it shows that I have come early enough to get iced coffee." She wouldn't bring a fizzy drink, however.
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