Page 20 | AIBU to think takeaway iced coffee at interviews is unprofessional?

MasterBeth · 2026-09-23T18:45:03+00:00

Apparently, the world is debating this topic. Let's join in: Is it unprofessional to bring a takeaway iced coffee into a job interview? The answer to me is blindingly obvious, but not to everyone, it seems. Feel free to add your age and industry, in case that matters.

Original poster

MasterBeth · 24/09/2026 13:27

FiveEightNine · 24/09/2026 13:08

You expect people to cater for your feelings and "sensibilities". Effectively you are saying that the candidate should focus on thoughts like "could someone mighty feel potentially a teeny bit distracted by my coffee?" instead of just normally coming in as an equal to discuss the job and the company.

Don't you see how ridiculous it sounds? Like you have no idea what the actual job is about, so you are focusing on interpreting the personality from tea leaves a coffee cup.

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In plenty of normal discussions, people swear.

Do you recommend dropping the c-bomb in a job interview or is it ridiculous to focus on thoughts like ""could someone mighty feel potentially a teeny bit distracted by my cunting?"

OP posts:

Faceonthewrongfoot · 24/09/2026 13:28

I watched a video of someone discussing this yesterday, and the point she made, which makes sense, is that you don't need to bring one in with you, so why do something that might impact the interviewer's perception of you? Lots of people might not care, but some will. (Plus the potential for you to knock it over/spill it - do you want their memory of you to be the person that stained their carpet....?)
And ultimately, you are there to sell them something - to convince them to employ you. Would you present a sales pitch while slurping a drink through a straw?

cheezncrackers · 24/09/2026 13:29

Unprofessional IMO, regardless of industry. I'm 52 and work in consultancy.

LeticiaMorales · 24/09/2026 13:29

FiveEightNine · 24/09/2026 13:21

Why is me without a drink supposed to be a better version of myself?

Arriving on time and wearing genenerally appropriate clothes are parts of the job.
If it is a kind of jobs when drinks are normal part of meetings, having one at the interview doesn't say anything about ability/inability to do the job.

Using it as part of the assesment just shows that the assesser is clueless.

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Nope. It's about taking a situation seriously, you're not invited for a coffee break, or a chat on your way back from town. Plus they'll be sucking it up through a straw with the ice making a noise.
It's possible to defer pleasure. Get one on the way home. Sip water in an interview.

Beautifulhaiku · 24/09/2026 13:29

MasterBeth · 24/09/2026 13:27

In plenty of normal discussions, people swear.

Do you recommend dropping the c-bomb in a job interview or is it ridiculous to focus on thoughts like ""could someone mighty feel potentially a teeny bit distracted by my cunting?"

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Most people wouldn’t swear in a meeting at work, so they wouldn’t swear at a job interview.

LeticiaMorales · 24/09/2026 13:30

Faceonthewrongfoot · 24/09/2026 13:28

I watched a video of someone discussing this yesterday, and the point she made, which makes sense, is that you don't need to bring one in with you, so why do something that might impact the interviewer's perception of you? Lots of people might not care, but some will. (Plus the potential for you to knock it over/spill it - do you want their memory of you to be the person that stained their carpet....?)
And ultimately, you are there to sell them something - to convince them to employ you. Would you present a sales pitch while slurping a drink through a straw?

Like a big sippy cup!
Good points.

Original poster

MasterBeth · 24/09/2026 13:32

Beautifulhaiku · 24/09/2026 13:21

But why should you have to? Do we really have to maintain ancient etiquette rules that make no sense? You’ve said you employ humans rather than robots, so treat them as humans rather than robots.

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A different question to the original.

Maybe we should all agree that it's OK to bring takeaway drinks into interviews

But we haven't.

So it's daft as a candidate to behave as if we have.

OP posts:

FiveEightNine · 24/09/2026 13:34

MasterBeth · 24/09/2026 13:27

In plenty of normal discussions, people swear.

Do you recommend dropping the c-bomb in a job interview or is it ridiculous to focus on thoughts like ""could someone mighty feel potentially a teeny bit distracted by my cunting?"

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Teeny bit distracted was your evaluation of the impact of the coffee. I suppose that heavy swearing would be more than that.

Anyway, you really don't see a difference between a coffee which is pretty normal thing to have at a workplace and swearing, which probably is not?

The whole point is, that using your feelings about very small unimportant things which have nothing to do with the job itself might not be the best way to do your job of selecting the best candidate.

Original poster

MasterBeth · 24/09/2026 13:34

Beautifulhaiku · 24/09/2026 13:29

Most people wouldn’t swear in a meeting at work, so they wouldn’t swear at a job interview.

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Plenty of people swear in work meetings, including client meetings.

OP posts:

whereswilson · 24/09/2026 13:47

seahorsessky · 23/09/2026 19:59

Don't some contain allergens which would be banned in some workplaces?

Coffee banned at work? I cant imagine a work place that banned coffee.

Backedoffhackedoff · 24/09/2026 13:50

MasterBeth · 24/09/2026 13:27

In plenty of normal discussions, people swear.

Do you recommend dropping the c-bomb in a job interview or is it ridiculous to focus on thoughts like ""could someone mighty feel potentially a teeny bit distracted by my cunting?"

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You’re mixing up things that actually are widely agreed to be unprofessional with what you think is unprofessional.

you can’t use swearing (widely agreed to be unprofessional) to demonstrate the problem with take away coffee (views differ)

Beautifulhaiku · 24/09/2026 13:59

MasterBeth · 24/09/2026 13:34

Plenty of people swear in work meetings, including client meetings.

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And you’re fine with that, but not someone bringing a coffee to an interview?

Beautifulhaiku · 24/09/2026 14:00

MasterBeth · 24/09/2026 13:32

A different question to the original.

Maybe we should all agree that it's OK to bring takeaway drinks into interviews

But we haven't.

So it's daft as a candidate to behave as if we have.

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Just think though - you could be a part of that change.

Beautifulhaiku · 24/09/2026 14:01

Also your question was ‘is it unprofessional?’ not ‘is it wise to do so, considering some people may find it unprofessional?’

Justareceptionist · 24/09/2026 14:02

Yep. Totally unprofessional.
But working on reception has really opened by eyes to how little effort some people make for interviews. Turning up in jeans and messy buns,walking in there with no smile, eye contact and like they're doing us a favour by being there.
Someone will probably bring their dog next.

Purplepeopleeaterz · 24/09/2026 14:02

Its better than the candidate that was sat eating their breakfast throughout when we had to interview on Teams and responded to the questions through mouthfuls of cereal!
They were not offered the job....

LeticiaMorales · 24/09/2026 14:02

Beautifulhaiku · 24/09/2026 14:01

Also your question was ‘is it unprofessional?’ not ‘is it wise to do so, considering some people may find it unprofessional?’

You'd think an interviewee would err on the side of caution.

DoraSpenlow · 24/09/2026 14:04

My boss once had to explain to some graduate employees that it didn't look professional to bring bowls of Shreddies into early morning board level client meetings. Their response was "but I've not had any breakfast". I don't think they would have thought twice about taking drinks to an interview.

Backedoffhackedoff · 24/09/2026 14:05

DoraSpenlow · 24/09/2026 14:04

My boss once had to explain to some graduate employees that it didn't look professional to bring bowls of Shreddies into early morning board level client meetings. Their response was "but I've not had any breakfast". I don't think they would have thought twice about taking drinks to an interview.

Seems a bit odd to have graduates at board meetings tbh

LeticiaMorales · 24/09/2026 14:06

DoraSpenlow · 24/09/2026 14:04

My boss once had to explain to some graduate employees that it didn't look professional to bring bowls of Shreddies into early morning board level client meetings. Their response was "but I've not had any breakfast". I don't think they would have thought twice about taking drinks to an interview.

Yes, it's about just doing what you want, never mind the situation.

DoraSpenlow · 24/09/2026 14:07

Backedoffhackedoff · 24/09/2026 14:05

Seems a bit odd to have graduates at board meetings tbh

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It was a young tech company. Lots of graduates.

lavendervibes · 24/09/2026 14:08

this is timely, I was interviewing yesterday, the interviewer, and had a can of Pepsi which I was drinking in the pre meet, but during the interview I put it out of sight as it didn’t seem professional. Water is fine, anything else, no.

Beautifulhaiku · 24/09/2026 14:10

LeticiaMorales · 24/09/2026 14:02

You'd think an interviewee would err on the side of caution.

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Yes I agree. But to the question ‘is it unprofessional?’ I’d say no.

LeticiaMorales · 24/09/2026 14:12

Beautifulhaiku · 24/09/2026 14:10

Yes I agree. But to the question ‘is it unprofessional?’ I’d say no.

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I would say "yes" , but that's in the context of schools.

Backedoffhackedoff · 24/09/2026 14:12

DoraSpenlow · 24/09/2026 14:07

It was a young tech company. Lots of graduates.

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Yes but what were they doing with the board?! In a decade of working closely with boards its standard that you don’t have every Tom dick and Harry in a meeting with them.