The viral debate about iced coffee at job interviews is splitting the internet

The TikTok video points to a generational divide

The TikTok reel poster said she sees this in Gen Z job applicants but didn’t mention other generations. The generational divide is a big part of what’s upsetting people online. Every generation thinks theirs is the best, and the older (and younger) generations have it all wrong.

“I think the workplace has gotten more casual,” said Bonnie Dilber, a senior manager of talent acquisition at Zapier. “Each progressive generation is a little bit more casual than the one that came before.”

Meaning, Gen Z workers are more casual than millennials, who are more casual than Gen X, who are more casual than boomers.

“Certainly lots of Gen Z navigate very buttoned-up environments perfectly well, but I think a lot of modern workplaces and the biggest employers have made their brand being casual,” Dilber said.

It’s not rare to see tech executives in T-shirts or C-suite staffers installing games in their offices.

It’s normal for great workplaces to be casual, Dilber said. Some of this iced coffee discourse likely has to do with that.

But, Gottsman said, this iced-coffee-toting behaviour is not exclusive to Gen Z. She sees it in older generations, too.

Vernon-Thompson said offices, generally, are meant to be more formal – even if they aren’t as buttoned-up as they once were.

“Conduct yourself properly. Get out of the casual behaviour and the casual dressing. Learn professionalism,” said Vernon-Thompson. “There are so many resources – YouTube videos, there are ChatGPT and Claude. There are so many resources to ask.”

What about bringing a water bottle to a job interview? Experts are torn.

“Etiquette is often about us all buying into a certain fiction. And during a job interview, I want to believe that this is the most important thing in your life for the next 30 minutes,” said Nick Leighton, an etiquette expert and host of the Were You Raised by Wolves? podcast.