The latest generational clash wasn’t over home prices or interest rates. It was over iced coffee.
Let’s settle this now: Can you bring an iced coffee to a job interview? What’s your take?
In recent weeks, an internet-wide debate sparked over whether it’s appropriate to show up a cold, caffeinated beverage - or if it’s ill-mannered.
It all started when Caitlin Wehniainen, a hiring recruiter for Fortune 500 companies, posted on TikTok urging job candidates to stop bringing iced coffee to interviews, because it “looks a little too casual.”
But rather than staying in comment sections, it quickly emerged as a viral dispute on every major news outlet, publication, and podcast, from The New York Times and Forbes to Valutainment and CNBC, all joining the discussion and even bringing career experts to weigh in.
Now for the elephant in the room: is it really about the coffee? Or is this about something bigger?
The nature of this debate reveals a much larger discourse. A generational divide between Boomers and Gen-Z, with Gen-X and Millennials caught in the middle and needing to choose sides. And it’s about how culture is shifting in real time around work, career, and life in general.
Navigating the great AI takeover, a global pandemic’s ongoing aftermath, and sky-high student loans -- all in the most complex and fast-moving era in history -- young professionals have had enough. And they’re choosing to rebel by “ditching outdated practices” and breaking the rules they deem unnecessary.
Their strategy? A large double shot espresso on the rocks, with an extra pump of vanilla.
Older professionals with more life experience view it differently, saying that while things may be actively changing, certain things like interview etiquette and first impressions still matter, and always will.
We think both sides of the table have shared good points, but they can’t seem to find common ground. What do you think?
One of our talented writers at Cheezburger, Julia Rose Atkinson, breaks this down in detail.
🔗 We put the link in the comments below
Let’s settle this now: Can you bring an iced coffee to a job interview? What’s your take?
In recent weeks, an internet-wide debate sparked over whether it’s appropriate to show up a cold, caffeinated beverage - or if it’s ill-mannered.
It all started when Caitlin Wehniainen, a hiring recruiter for Fortune 500 companies, posted on TikTok urging job candidates to stop bringing iced coffee to interviews, because it “looks a little too casual.”
But rather than staying in comment sections, it quickly emerged as a viral dispute on every major news outlet, publication, and podcast, from The New York Times and Forbes to Valutainment and CNBC, all joining the discussion and even bringing career experts to weigh in.
Now for the elephant in the room: is it really about the coffee? Or is this about something bigger?
The nature of this debate reveals a much larger discourse. A generational divide between Boomers and Gen-Z, with Gen-X and Millennials caught in the middle and needing to choose sides. And it’s about how culture is shifting in real time around work, career, and life in general.
Navigating the great AI takeover, a global pandemic’s ongoing aftermath, and sky-high student loans -- all in the most complex and fast-moving era in history -- young professionals have had enough. And they’re choosing to rebel by “ditching outdated practices” and breaking the rules they deem unnecessary.
Their strategy? A large double shot espresso on the rocks, with an extra pump of vanilla.
Older professionals with more life experience view it differently, saying that while things may be actively changing, certain things like interview etiquette and first impressions still matter, and always will.
We think both sides of the table have shared good points, but they can’t seem to find common ground. What do you think?
One of our talented writers at Cheezburger, Julia Rose Atkinson, breaks this down in detail.
🔗 We put the link in the comments below
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