Coffee, it is a wondrous thing. Suppose you told me I could go to an alternate universe where everything is practically perfect, but coffee, somehow, doesn't exist. Fraknly, I would really hesitate to commit to even visiting such a place. I understand how some people don't like coffee. I know folks like that. I call some of them friends or loved ones, but readers, they are wrong. Dead wrong. Coffee is one of the best things ever, and I have been drinking it so long I am pretty sure I'd have to snort espresso beans to feel much of a caffeine effect. No, I just drink coffee for the love of the game. Black, no cream or sugar, generally a nice blonde or medium roast. If it is too dark, I'll add some water, like a poor man's Americano. If you're drinking coffee, I approve. Hot or cold, with cream or sugar, just let me know you drink the stuff; even if I despise you for countless reasons, I may be kind enough to add, "At least he/she drinks coffee, so they can't be all bad." If you drink coffee, we at least have something in common, so why the Hell would I care if you bring iced coffee to an interview? How is that a, "Red flag?"
In the past, anytime I'd go to a job interview, I'd try to be prepared. I would have my own pen, notepad, an extra copy of my resume, and something to drink. Perhaps a bottle of water, maybe a tumbler with coffee (hot or cold). I wouldn't bring soda because then I'd be burping through a whole interview, and that would be tacky. Having something to sip helped ensure I didn't suddenly get dry mouth, and it gave me an action to do besides annoyingly tapping my pen, fidgeting, etc. All of that said, in September the idea of whether or not it was, "Appropriate," to bring iced coffee to an interview blew up online. Caitlin Wehniainen is a job recruiter, and she made an internet video urging Gen Z applicants not to show up with a Dunkin' iced coffee in hand, lest they look too casual, as if they were out running errands and stopped by to look into a job--yet, mostly uninterested in a career. In other words, don't look like you have an identity outside of an office; try to be more like an, "Innie," character from, "Severance," who exists only within their workspace. This resulted in most of the generations taking shots at each other, with Generation Z, Millennials, and Baby Boomers all calling each other fools whilst Generation X did their usual thing of sitting on the sidelines and disinterestedly watching the World burn.
There is no winner in this argument, as Brian Phillips over at The Ringer points out. We have generational divides, questions of classism, and all kinds of sociocultural baggage to break down when it comes to whether you should or should not bring your iced coffee to a job interview. Personally, if I were hiring anybody for anything, I would just be pleased to see they enjoy coffee in any form! The only time I would say you shouldn't bring coffee somewhere is perhaps if you did have a big ol' cup from Dunkin or Starbucks and were interviewing at an independent coffee shop; that would be off-putting. That said, I'll be bringing coffee with me everywhere for the foreseeable future--hot, iced, or whatever.
