AIBU to think takeaway iced coffee at interviews is unprofessional?

I used to work in recruitment and once had an interview with someone who declined a water/coffee then proceeded to take a carton of juice out her bag, pierce it with a straw then drink from it whilst it remained on the table and holding eye contact with me…..I had to leave the room and get a colleague to take over. I was convinced she was high as surely no one in their right mind would do that.

Maybe there were diabetic and needed it

Yes it is unprofessional

im in my early 50’s and work in healthcare

we have had a number of people turn up with coffees/cans of coke and Macdonalds milkshake

if you feel you need a drink (which many will) a bottle of water is fine

I think it’s really unprofessional.

50s- Data analyst in Civil Service.

Why on Earth shouldn’t someone take a drink into an interview?
it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest if someone brought a bottle of water or a cup of coffee into an interview.
Earring in an interview is a no no, but I don’t see any issue with having a non alcoholic drink’
(approaching 50)

Don’t be daft. Taking a sip of a cold drink so you don’t get a dry throat is very different to sitting there eating, chewing actual food. Taking a sip of a drink doesn’t affect your ability to answer questions - obviously chewing would affect your ability to talk!

Late 40s, work in the voluntary sector.

Wouldn't bother me at all, especially during this summer's heatwaves. I was packing my travel mug full of ice to have icy cold drinks in our non air conditioned office.

I think now a days lots of people would rather buy a coffee as they prefer almond milk, oat milk etc… more people have allergies, more people are vegans..
I think it’s a bit short sighted to just assume people are rude to bring their own drink, there are so many circumstances where bringing your own is easier than sounding fussy or having to disclose you are a vegan or lactose intolerant…
I guess it depends on the job too, length of interview, time of day, temperature etc…
during the heatwave I don’t think an iced drink was out of order,
Also possibly someone might need to sip on a milky drink to keep their sugars up if diabetic and nerves make their sugars drop - although usually anxiety would make sugars go high, but everyone’s different - my daughter is type one and has been told that she’ll be allowed food and drink on her during her GCSE exams to help regulate sugars.. and exams are only 60-90 minutes long.
Personally I wouldn’t take a drink into an interview, but it wouldn’t bother me if someone else did.

it was proceeded by the rest of her lunch which she sat eating whilst not answering my questions. It was to this day the most bizarre interview I have ever conducted! Had she said sorry, would you mind if I just have this packet of crisps and some apple juice as my blood sugar is rather low I would not have given it a second thought. The way the rest of her interview continued I can assure you she was not well but not a diabetic fugue

People @MasterBeth . Supporting people. A vital care worker role.

I wouldn’t do it, but if I were hiring people, it wouldn’t bother me. Depending on their personality and how they were dressed, it might project ease, social poise, and confidence. And an ability to think for themselves. I draw the line at gum chewing and eating, though.

Ok well this is a bit different. I would have no problem with someone having an orange juice, wouldn’t really think anything of it but a bag of crisps is very different- completely inappropriate

I think the only drink acceptable to walk into an interview with is a bottle of water. Anything else makes it seem very casual and like you don’t really want the job.

Are you being dense on purpose?

Ffs is this really what neurotypicals GAF about? 🙄 Have I ever felt the need to bring my own drink to an interview, no. Would I have judged someone for bringing one? No. Unless it was a beer or something. There really are more important things going on in the world, get a grip.

I think slurping through a straw in an interview would cause me to think twice about the candidate. Interviews are there to show the world the best version of you; noisy rattling of ice cubes and sucking does not present a professional image. Sipping a cup of tea or a glass of water that you have been offered is different. It would make me wonder what they thought would be appropriate to do in front of a client.

(My opinion would differ if they weren’t going to be customer facing, though. Software engineers? You’re lucky if they have their clothes on the right way around.)

What?
Is saying don't discriminate against black people "whiteist"?
Is it misandry to not discriminate against women?

No, it's pointing out that people can think differently (potentially nueurodiverse) to you and still be the best candidate.
Nueurodiverse people are more likely not to know social norms. And others have pointed out that people could be bringing juice/milky drinks for their blood sugar.
Considering that, why does an iced coffee concern you?

Nope, it’s whether they can do the job I’m interested in. If a coffee helps them relax and contributes to them engaging well with the interview, then that’s fine by me.

No, it’s not. I know some wonderful neurotypical people who are open minded and considerate and don’t judge people based off of petty things like a tiny social faux pas. However in my experience, it does tend to be neurotypical individuals who make these kinds of judgements - not all, but often they are the culprits because autistics have been judged for social faux pas their entire lives and therefore often are more understanding. I took a guess based off of the information provided that you were neurotypical and by your own admission I was right. So… maybe try to be less of a stereotype then, I suppose.

“Some of my best friends are black” 🙄

What you actually said was “Ffs is this really what neurotypicals GAF about?”.

Keep digging.