I interview candidates several times per year. I cannot imagine caring if they’re drinking a coffee during the interview. I often am drinking coffee or water. We need competent people who are good collaborators. Paying attention to irrelevant nonsense would be shooting ourselves in the foot. I have to work with and rely on these people afterwards to get stuff done. If I miss out on a good person because I needed a power trip, I’m the one who suffers.
I’ve taken more than enough psychic damage from the arguments over this but I’m really glad this place has a smaller ratio of people blindly defending the arbitrary and superficial unspoken criteria of corporations when it comes to deciding who does/doesn’t deserve to live.
It’s bad enough living in a world where someone’s dumb-ass incorrect perception of you can drastically make your life worse, but I especially don’t want to live in a world where the working class not only accepts that but deliberately reinforces it. - Vire (vi/vim)
Wow, crazy how article went from “iced coffee” to “everything is racist and white people are evil.”
How about don’t bring ANY drinks to the interview, except maybe water.
No it has nothing to do with racism, psycho author.
You can’t bring coffee or drinks of any kind into a cleanroom environment so bringing one during the interview says to me nothing because if you get the job you’re still not bringing coffee into the cleanroom. You can drink it outside and you can vape and smoke and get a tattoo in between your ball sack or buttcheeks but none of that will ever be done in a cleanroom environment. “One” other thing you are not allowed to do in a cleanroom is wear hair spray or aromatic aerosols or perfumes or makeup or clothing that sheds, or play loud music or wear your headphones or wear baggy clothes or not shower or bring your shoes or spit, pee or poo. But you can do all those one things outside. There are rules for every job and the rules may prohibit you from doing things you would otherwise do. Like doctors don’t drink coffee during a surgery right over the open cavity. I’m not sure if a doctor may be allowed coffee on a table nearby. I’m not a doctor, so I don’t know. A car mechanic could probably be allowed to drink coffee or other drinks while working on a car. A stunt pilot cannot be driving coffee during flight. A racecar driver also cannot drink coffee from a coffee cup while driving during a race. They might be able to drink from a helmet straw. So in sort I don’t care what you drink during an interview.
I think it depends on the situation. My interviews typically lasted all day. Lunch was included and I believe at least once I was actually offered coffee. Personally I wouldn’t bring mine. I don’t consider it a burden to go without for one interview. Plus I usually had some kind of notebook with me with examples of my work and a copy of the interview schedule that was provided to me as well as other documentation. It all becomes a bit too much to carry if you add coffee. But if it’s a more casual atmosphere, no biggie. I mean, I wouldn’t likely show up in a suit for a job at the Mc Donald’s drive-thru.
On the other hand how does the coffee drinker act. Is this person placing a sweaty drink container on the interviewer’s desk? Slurping loudly during an interview question?
So I think it’s situation dependent.
8h of interview? New age torture chamber?
In my previous job, we interviewed people for several positions, usually 4 to 6. Each area was looking for different things, so multiple interviews made sense, then it was up to each area if they wanted to make an offer. We’d include break for lunch and get non-managers to take them for lunch so they could chat. So not one 8h interview, several one hour interviews. This is pretty common with large organizations.
Whatever you bring is part of your “costume” for the interview. This is true for your clothes, any binder or notepad you bring, and yes even a drink. It all gets measured (even if subconsciously) against the company culture and job requirements. For customer-facing roles, where an iced coffee would be inappropriate, it’s probably a bad idea to bring one.
One thing that other commenters (and the article) are missing is they are making the assumption that an interview is one-way. That you truly want the job, and you’re just doing whatever it takes to get there. And if you’re unemployed/desperate, that might be the case.
But if you’re interviewing them as well, it’s really important to locate the bullshit right away. If you won’t be a good fit, getting the job will be bad for everyone. This is especially true if you’re leaving a decent job elsewhere. If an iced coffee is a deal breaker, is that the culture you want to step into?
I’ve seen places that refuse to hire men with long hair, regardless of style. You can imagine what the rest of the culture is like. Going in with long (professional-looking) hair can bring out the problems faster and in a way that no other interview tactic would. Getting rejected here is dodging a bullet. Same with a coffee.
Oh yeah, long hair. I wear mine in a braid at work, down to my lower back. I had a job that I was hired for, met all the requirements but someone fairly high up saw my hair and was like “Nope, let him go, men don’t have long hair.” The guy who hired me told him “Ok, seeing as I hired him and YOU want him gone YOU can pay him 6 months salary, for no work, and he’s gone today.” Kept that job for 5 years, the higher up that wanted me gone? Gone that summer, 3 months after I started.
I’m glad somebody else understands this. Normies are so fucking easy to game because they often care more about appearances over anything else. Just gotta put on a good costume and play their game against them.
I dream of the day we get over this stupid lust of appearances and start focusing more on actual value and abilities. Anybody can get dressed in the morning, not anybody can do what I do when it comes to work and abilities.
As someone in a position to hire, I don’t give a shit if you bring something to drink as long as it isn’t booze. Show me you know your stuff and that’s what really matters.
Ha, I’ve been following this whole thing and it’s just so funny to me. It’s such a younger generation thing, maybe I’m older and so I’ve just “played the game” a lot. The whole thing is should you be able to take your drink of choice? Of course! However, would I do that? Hell freaking no I wouldn’t.
Going into an interview from the first glance they’re judging you to see if you’re a good fit. Granted you’re also judging them but let’s be honest, it’s pretty lopsided. If I go in I want them to see my best foot forward, it means I’m putting on a show for the next hour (or more nowadays) so that you want to hire me. I’m not bringing in anything that alters that view of me. Iced coffee, hot coffee, nothing. Maybe a neat folder of a couple spare resumes and a notebook I can take notes in. I plan ahead, I’ll usually be at a coffee shop before the interview anyway (it helps make sure I’m there on time, get there 30-60 mins ahead of time and chill at a coffee shop), and then walk over for the interview.
Bringing a drink or anything extra is just something that now they’re thinking about, and you don’t want them thinking about you in that way. It’s something else that you put on the table, you’re taking sips of, for cold drinks it’s condensing and leaving a ring, and then you have to ask for a trash. All benign things but again, you’re in their house and why would you want to bring any negative attention at all to them? I’ve had interviewers who were obviously just having bad days say no to me for arbitrary bullshit already, why add to that? It all seems like an unnecessary gamble for no reason at all.
Now if they offer coffee or a drink when you get there (hopefully they do) I’m all for it. They offered, it’s free game. Go wild. Just don’t get picky.
I know this is a wall of text but I’ll also say that as an interviewer I don’t care at all if they do, as long as they’re professional and it doesn’t get in the way. If it’s distracting, you’re shaking the ice, or slurping out the last bits, or whatever, yeah it’s going to distract me. I’m not going to be annoyed because you brought coffee, but I will be annoyed if you aren’t appearing to take an interview seriously.
And now unfortunately bringing it after this whole social media thing is basically wearing a target on your… front? face? that says “I’m making a statement” and will absolutely label you a troublemaker to any HR person (because you know every HR person has seen this). It’s also probably tainted it for 5-10 years as they’ll keep remembering this.
I agree with all that, but I’d say a hot coffee avoids all of that. It won’t leave a ring, there’s no noisy ice you might chew on, and it’s sipped slowly, so it’s not very distracting. Just don’t slurp, or leave it behind.
I am a hiring manager for a small engineering team. I don’t think I would notice as long as there wasn’t extra attention drawn to the drink for some reason.
It’s a stupid reason to not hire someone, it’s a stupid reason to not get hired. Best to avoid the whole thing. People are so worried about how they should be able to do whatever they want, but people have been passed over for less. If you can afford to miss out on a job, go nuts.
it’s because you want a talented individual
this shits from fortune 500 hr gits hiring warm bodies
as long as there wasn’t extra attention drawn to the drink for some reason
If you accidentally spill coffee everywhere, you’ve just brought a lot of extra attention to it. Best not to risk it.
as someone who has also been involved hiring for engi roles
i would give zero shits, long as the person was pleasant in resolving the accident
if anything being able to see their behaivor under stress is a good thing
Having needed to hire for engineering teams, I think the iced coffee would be a big deal if the position was client facing and wouldn’t be if it was internal.
The answer for me of “who defines professionalism” is the client. If the effective end client is me, I don’t care. I’m pretty lax and chill.
However, if I’m hiring for a client facing role and you bring an iced coffee, you are saying that you don’t know or don’t care about client expectations and that is a red flag. I work in an industry where it is still the expectation to wear a suit and tie to certain client meetings. If you can’t play the game with me, how can I trust you to play the game with the client?
Dress codes like that are racist. As a Native American I should be allowed to have my hair and clothing in a traditionally Cherokee style if I want to and if your clients have a problem with that then they are racist fucks who can go fuck themselves.
At the end of the day “the customer is always right” doesn’t mean I should be expected to sell my scruples for your ROI.
I wasn’t talking about hair? I feel like we’re starting to mix appearance requirements with non-appearance presentation.
And I don’t care about hair other than it would be considered “neat” in the culture it came from. Given the multicultural mix of where I work, people wear a wide variety of different hair styles including afros, turbans, beards, and marks on their forehead. Even worked with a non-federally recognized Native American engineer who wore his hair long in a ponytail.
You just said that iced coffee was enough to let you know someone wasn’t serious about client expectations and that you still work at a place that requires a suit and tie on occasion. I’ve never worked somewhere that had a dress code, even one that didn’t apply all the time, that didn’t mention hair.
Regardless, I find it hard to square the idea that iced coffee wouldn’t fly but an Afro would. But maybe I just live around a lot of racist people.
I live in an area with a lot of various immigrant groups, so the hair requirement gets limited to neat and tidy without specifying length. There is also a lot more leeway if you aren’t seeing a client or you’re out in the field.
It sounds like you live around a lot of racist people, but also an unresponsive legal system. The number of successful lawsuits in my state regarding discrimination have generally beat out any desire to measure hair in the industry I work in.
Can’t break the stupid norms if we just keep confirming to them. I used to think I was born too late, but the older I get the more I realize I am way more fit for this current generation. They managed to rally the masses I never could.
Hey I say go for it. You’re risking your chance at the job, but it’s not my life.
Their loss, not mine. Inagine the stupid shit they’re firing people for there.
The employer is also risking their chance to hire me.
If you have the means and ability to pick your jobs and that’s the hill you want to die on, more power to you.
The “honestly ask questions about the organization during the interview” advice is such bullshit. Your questions can and will be used against you. If you are sniffing around after a toxic work culture, a toxic work culture will sniff that out and reject you.
It reminds me of all the straight men who read a gay sex columnists advice about the importance of communication in a relationship then think its OK to ask their wife how they would feel about a three-way with her sister.
then think its OK to ask their wife how they would feel about a three-way with her sister.
But some questions need to be answered dagnamit!
Your questions can and will be used against you. If you are sniffing around after a toxic work culture, a toxic work culture will sniff that out and reject you.
Sounds like a win to me. I don’t see the problem.
If you are sniffing around after a toxic work culture, a toxic work culture will sniff that out and reject you.
Isn’t that exactly the point?
Depends on your preferences.
Do you like to sleep inside and eat food you bought at the grocery story?
or
do you enoy waking up in the outdoors and finding breakfast in the dumpster behind Dunkin Donuts?
But you make a good point. If I’m going to work in a toxic environment, I might as well not risk not working in a toxic environment by pretending I won’t work in a toxic work environment.
You’re just suggesting preemptive compliance. Go ahead and bend over backwards for the first employer to give you a few minutes of attention. The same one that will give you the boot the second they smell a hint of dissatisfaction with your shit pay and toxic work environment.
I’m a department manager for the kitchen section of a grocery store. I hire my own staff.
You’re absolutely right that the interview starts before the interview. I’ll meet them on the sales floor and bring them upstairs to the offices. Right away I’m looking for how you greet me, how fast you walk, and how you handle small talk on our way upstairs. I personally don’t care about how you’re dressed because the job has a very casual uniform anyway, but if you do try to look nice for the interview it at least shows that you’re putting an effort in.
During the interview itself, I really don’t care what answers you give. As long as there’s no major red flags, most of my questions are pretty standard. Everyone’s gonna be a hard worker, dependable, willing to learn, great with customers. I don’t really care. What I do care about is how you answer it, your tone of voice, your word choice, how long it takes you to come up with your answers, and how much you talk about your answers. If you’re just flatly giving standard responses and not expanding on it at all, that’s a big pass for me. If you can’t show excitement and friendliness in an interview, how are you going to be with customers? I will never know, because there’s 200 other people lined up for the one job I’m hiring for. I’ll just choose someone else. It sounds harsh but it’s true. On the other hand, if you greet me with a smile, ideally have a copy of your resume with you (I have hundreds of names and resumes in my head, it really is helpful if I have a paper copy to reference, but not mandatory), walk quickly (if I have to slow down or stop for you to keep up you’re probably not getting the job, we’re a super fast paced physical department), do well with small talk, then answer all the questions without stopping too long to think about your answers, explain your answers without me having to ask you to, and ask questions back (my last question is always if you have questions, give me something interesting to try and answer), those are all signs you’ll probably get the job.
Most people suck at interviews, honestly. Do a good job, and you’ll probably get the job.
The only time I care about your responses themselves is for the last question. If your question for me is something you should reasonably be able to figure out on your own, maybe ask something else.
…if I have to slow down or stop for you to keep up you’re probably not getting the job, we’re a super fast paced physical department…
Congrats; you just got your company sued for discrimination under the ADA.
Genuine question, not trying to start an argument. I’m not American so I’m not sure how it works there (not even sure what the ADA is but I’m assuming it’s some sort of American employment body or something), but do you need to provide a reason for not hiring someone? What if someone isn’t fit to fulfill a position? Someone in a wheelchair probably wouldn’t make a very good roofer, for example. Would denying them be considered discrimination? Heavy lifting and being on your feet for hours at a time are mandatory prerequisites for the job. Also, what about probation? Where I live, if you’re on probation, you can be fired without cause. Is that not the case in the States? I’m genuinely just curious how it works in different countries.
I would never bring food or drink to a job interview.
However, the debate has been distorted and a bit strawman’d. The original question was “would you bring an iced coffee to an interview for a Fortune 500 job?”
I’d agree that most interviewers probably wouldn’t care but also most interviews are not for Fortune 500 companies.
also working for fortune 500 companies is extremely overrated anyway
strawman’d
Straw-manned. Apostrophes are going extinct from over-hunting and misuse.
‘’‘’‘’
Here have a few, I’ve got a captive breeding population going.
It’s fine we’ll just turn some hyphens sideways.
Sure, that|s a great way to save apostrophe|s.
You can’t just do that, there’s a lot of paperwork involved.
No, I’ve got a guy who can easily get me that kind of stuff. Semicolons, demicolons, tax-free umlauts, sawed-off em dashes. It’s all available for a paltry sum, just don’t ask him how he gets his stuff.
Got any asterisks?
Does the iced coffee do anything with the work involved? Then it should have no weight on the interview. I’m glad these fucking clowns are finally being called out for how stupid they are.
People are ignoring the Fortune 500 part because it is meaningless. Walmart is a Fortune 500 company.
Does the fact that the coffee is iced have anything to do with your decision? Would you bring hot coffee to an interview?
No and no.
Bring it in an insulated travel cup and as long as it doesn’t have offensive stickers you’d negate most of the negatives the article presented.
How dare the plebs drink.
Of course a drink of choice should be allowed. They are employing someone for their skill set. What they drink and when they drink it is irreverent (as long as its not alcohol or blood). Its just another control tactic, and tells you everything about the company.
This should not be a conversation for any org that appreciates understanding their talent, and the value of trust & motivation.
How many higher ups are hired at a fancy drink and a whisky or two. I bet the logic is not applied the same across all employees.
A little blood is ok for a night shift job or work-from-coffin.
For the companies that mind you bringing an iced coffee, you should be glad if they reject you. If that is part of their criteria, they probably aren’t someone you would want to work for. I didn’t like the people who were obviously putting on an act to try to be what they thought I wanted them to be during the hiring process. Culture fit is important. Two people with the same skills will not be equal candidates if one is contrary to the rest of the employment group. Also someone who will not fit in will not be able to fully use their skills due to social conflicts. Soft skills matter more in some positions/companies than others.
Bringing coffee in is a power move if you’re employed already. It says “my time is just as valuable as yours and I intend to make the most of it regardless of what you think.” As someone who just interviews to keep his skills sharp at this point, it’s not the worst thing you can do so long as you don’t make a big deal out of it.
I’d be more offended if they require you to prepare a slide deck of some useless example you probably made up anyway. That’s working for free and I won’t do it.
I was holding a (hot) coffee in the interview for my current job tbf lol
Culture fit is part of the process for sure
Why blow it up at all? If it doesn’t fit in with the company culture, just don’t hire them. Making it a big deal, like yelling at the candidate simply reeks of corporate entitlement. Plus, are you really telling me yould reject the golden candidate if he or she is exhibiting some subjectively questionable personal judgement? Like turning away Gabe Newell because he didn’t shave before the interview, or Steve Jobs because he didn’t turn up in a tie? Really?
If you want to do the candidate a favor, maybe tell them on the way out, and if their behaviour is so repulsive, they’ll eventually get the idea and adjust, or find a company to which they are a better fit.
“Fitting into a company culture” is an enormous barge-sized excuse to practice every form of discrimination.
Coffee-based discrimination?
Because that’s the discussion we’re having here
deleted by creator
No, that was funny
If you can, undelete that comment
Thanks! I just replied to the wrong comment. I meant to reply to OP
lol, still, it was pretty funny
