AIBU to think takeaway iced coffee at interviews is unprofessional?

Really? I just assumed most people did massive burps after fizzy drinks. I find it even worse if it’s from a can or bottle. Every day’s a school day!

Why so rude?
A support worker isn’t an uncommon job role. They support people who need support for whatever reason.

I think it’s quite unusual to need to burp after a fizzy drink?

And don't do as I did and get a massive latte before the interview and let it fall off a table soaking your shoe meaning that you have to go to the interview with one wet shoe that smelled like baby sick.

I should say that I was offered a takeaway drink by an interviewer, I accepted. Got a classic British cup of tea. Then a little way through the interview the cup lid popped off and I managed to spill the still boiling tea all over my hands. and the table. Sword loudly. Had to pause the interview to run my hand under the cold tap. Still got the job. Iced coffee would probably have been safer.

My bugbear is interviews in places like hotel lobbies..can’t bear that lack of professionalism and everything being overheard

Just wait and have a coffee afterwards. Not everything needs to be accompanied by drinks and snacks. It just feels sloppy to me, like someone who let their lack of impulse control get the better of them. Obviously being offered coffee there is totally different!

Coffee/tea, takeaway/mug/thermos - all unprofessional whether you are the interviewer or interviewee.
Iced and takeaway presumably not relevant!

My automatic reaction is no, but thinking about it would I bring any drink in that I had to slap down on the interview table next to my interviewer in order to shake their hand? No.

So I’d say bringing any open drink container is unprofessional (vs say water bottle in bag) rather than an iced coffee being specifically wrong.

It’s a no from me. I think it’s the straw. Or anything you would have to suck on. A drink with the lid removed that you could drink from like a normal cup wouldn’t be quite so bad.

Late 40s, pharma industry.

Incredible! Reminds me of Ron Burgandy “milk was a bad choice”

Hmm. I think it would wave a small pink flag for me. Maybe they got there with lots of time to spare and are fuelling up for a productive day?
However, if they were LATE and had a bloody coffee.. good bye forever matey.

Are they bringing a round for everyone on the panel, or just themselves?

Completely inappropriate.

also…genuine question…do you not get really bloated and gassy or find you spend the meeting holding in burps?!

I personally don’t see the issue with a coffee or a tea being brought into in an interview but I would severely judge if it was a fizzy drink or something of that kind. I don’t know why you and other people take offence to a coffee like why is it taking so much brain power

Ok I can just about imagine circumstances where someone arrives very flustered and has had a really unfortunate journey - bus breaking down or something - so reasons why they just haven’t been able to dispose of this cup and still have it in their hand. Sympathy.

BUT if someone was slurping through a straw during an interview I would be noting “slurped through straw” against the Professionally presented criterion. And I would deduct time spent slurping from time allotted to answer the questions.

Any time of coffee wouldn't bother me but we once interview a young fella who drank from a can of red bull in his interview.

It was the least of reasons he wasn't hired!

@FiveEightNine id like to work with you 😄

I was sitting next to a guy on a bus who was sipping from a little carton of milk when he turned to me and said "I've got vodka in this, you know!"

You could try that.

I guess drinking from a can or bottle is seen as bad manners to people who care about those kind of things. I guess it depends how formal a meeting is.

I work in the public sector and with budget cuts and hot-desking/hybrid working/office spaces being used on a rota it’s no longer a given that there will be a drink available so it’s just become accepted to bring one along.

For those asking about when carrying a drink around became a thing.i vaguely remember when I was at high school there was some kind of research that showed that dehydration impacted on concentration and a focus and we were encouraged to bring a water bottle from home to have on our desks so we had access to it at all times. There was a lot of press in the late 90s and early 00s about the benefits of drinking 2L water a day so I think a lot of it stemmed from there

I’m surprised so many think it’s unprofessional! It’s literally just a drink.

I think if it’s a workplace where people can wear jeans to work, it’s ok to have a coffee. I’d guess that was most places these days.

Id consider it a bit unprofessional if it was a very big job in a very formal setting. But even then I don’t think it would bother me much, unless there was lots of slurping!

As long as they don't drink coffee 😂

I would very much judge someone who did this if I was on an interview panel. I would ask myself how their judgement about appropriate behavior in the office would work. I'm 62.