Heated hiring debate over iced coffee

Apparently, we have found the latest battleground in the generational war over what constitutes professionalism: iced coffee.

Not wages. Not work-life balance. Not whether employees should answer emails after 5 p.m.

There has been quite a bit of discussion lately about whether it is appropriate for a job candidate to walk into an interview carrying an iced coffee. To some hiring managers, it is a clear sign of poor judgment, a lack of professionalism or an attitude that says, “This isn’t really a big deal.” To others, it is simply a person walking into a meeting with a drink they picked up on the way.

I have to admit, as an HR person, I can see both sides.

If you are a candidate, I would probably think twice before bringing your iced coffee into an interview. Not because there is anything inherently wrong with the sugary, caffeinated drink — there isn’t — but because you may have 45 minutes, at most, to make a good impression and you have no idea what assumptions the person sitting across from you is going to make.

You may be thinking, “I was thirsty.”

The hiring manager may be thinking, “They don’t take this seriously.”

Unfortunately, the second interpretation can cost you the job.

Part of this comes down to the culture of the organization and part of it comes down to the power dynamic in the room. If the hiring manager upholds the interview as a formal evaluation, they may expect the candidate to recognize the seriousness of the situation. When a candidate walks in with an iced coffee, it can be interpreted as being overly casual or even presumptive. The candidate has, in a small way, decided what kind of meeting this is before the hiring manager has.

Of course, none of this necessarily has anything to do with whether the candidate will be good at the job. That is what makes the debate interesting.

If you are a candidate, I think the best approach is to understand your audience.

Do your research before the interview. Look at the company’s website and social media. Pay attention to how people talk about the organization and how it presents itself.

If it is a creative company with a relatively flat organizational structure, people dress casually and the CEO shares the lunchroom fridge, an iced coffee probably isn’t going to cause much concern. If you are interviewing somewhere with a more traditional culture, a rigid hierarchy and a very formal approach to business, you might want to leave the drink in the car.

That doesn’t mean you have to pretend to be somebody you’re not. It simply means an interview is not necessarily the best time to test the boundaries of an organization’s culture. You have limited time to show them what you can do. Why introduce something that could distract from that?

There is another side to this conversation, however, and that is the responsibility of the hiring manager. If a candidate walks into your office carrying an iced coffee, perhaps the answer isn’t to immediately write them off. Perhaps the answer is curiosity.

If I were interviewing someone for a customer service position and they walked in with an iced coffee, I might ask how the service was at the coffee shop. I might even give them a coaster and tell them they can put it down on the table. And then I would carry on with the interview.

Why? Because something interesting might happen. The candidate might relax.

One of the problems with interviews is that we often spend 45 minutes trying to figure out who somebody really is while the person sitting across from us is doing everything possible to present the most polished version of themselves. They have rehearsed their answers, figured out their strengths and probably practised saying, “I work well individually but also thrive as part of a team” hundreds of times.

The result isn’t necessarily the person you are going to hire.

If you can make someone comfortable enough to have a real conversation, you may learn much more about them.

For a customer service role in particular, I would rather see how someone naturally interacts with me than hear another carefully rehearsed answer about how much they enjoy helping people.

Ask them about the coffee. See whether they can laugh. See whether they can tell a story. See whether they can talk about an ordinary interaction in an interesting way. You might get a much better sense of the person who will actually show up for work on Monday morning.

And if the candidate is rude or entitled when you ask about it? Well, you’ve learned something useful, too.

The coffee isn’t the assessment. Your reaction to the coffee can create an opportunity for a better assessment.

I also think we need to recognize some of this is a generational tiff. Generation X looks at generation Z and sometimes wonders why they can’t just follow the rules for five minutes. Generation Z looks at generation X and wonders why there are so many rules in the first place.

Sound familiar?

Every generation changes the workplace. The boomers did it. Gen X did it. Millennials did it. Gen Z will do it, too.

Some of those changes are useful, some are irritating and some probably make each generation wonder what on earth the previous generation was thinking. But that is how workplaces evolve.

The mistake is assuming the way we learned to behave at work is the only legitimate way to behave at work.

There are certainly standards that matter. Showing up on time matters. Being respectful matters. Doing what you said you would do matters. Treating customers and colleagues well matters. But there are also workplace conventions that are simply conventions. They aren’t necessarily measures of someone’s character, work ethic or ability.

An iced coffee falls pretty firmly into that second category for me.

So, candidates, if you want the job, know your audience. Do your research. If you aren’t sure how your coffee is going to be received, you can probably survive 45 minutes without it. You don’t get extra points for proving that a company is more traditional than you expected.

Hiring managers, meanwhile, might want to resist the temptation to make a hiring decision based on the beverage someone is carrying. If the person looks promising, be curious. Give them a smile. Ask them where they got the coffee. See what happens when you give them permission to relax a little.

You may discover that the person with the iced coffee is exactly the person you want talking to your customers. Or you may discover that they aren’t.

Either way, you’ll have made a decision based on the person rather than the cup. And really, that seems like the more sensible way to approach this particular generational battle.

It is a cup of liquid, after all. Yes, you may hear the ice clink and rattle as the candidate takes a sip, but surely it isn’t so loud we can no longer communicate about a potential new job. And candidates, while we’re at it, please remember that bringing your coffee into the interview does not mean the hiring manager has also agreed to dispose of your garbage.

Take your cup with you when you leave.

Tory McNally, CPHR, BSc., vice-president, professional services at TIPI Legacy HR+ (formerly Legacy Bowes), is a human resource consultant, relationship builder and problem solver. She can be reached at tmcnally@tipipartners.com