Leave It in Your Car or Take It with You? That Is the Question.
Perhaps you have been following the “iced coffee” debate. It centers around “Gen Z” job candidates bringing iced coffees to interviews. In today’s “Monday Morning Economist” post, Jadrian Wooten summarizes the debate like this:
Iced coffee
Wearing a suit in an office setting or for a professional interview works as a signal because almost everyone in those contexts agrees on what it means. The iced coffee fight is really a disagreement about what the signal means, and the answer depends on who you ask.
To a lot of older Millennial and Gen X hiring managers, the coffee is a red flag. The critics usually argue that your iced coffee shows one of two things: either you don’t know the norm, or you know it and don’t care. In a formal interview, neither looks great.
To a lot of Gen Z candidates, it’s just coffee. They aren’t saying professionalism doesn’t matter. They’re saying a latte doesn’t measure it. Leaving the coffee in the car costs a brilliant candidate exactly as much as a mediocre one, so it can’t help an employer tell them apart. But it might show whether someone taught you this particular unwritten rule.
(You can read his full post here: Monday Morning Economist | Jadrian Wooten | Substack)
Regardless of where you fall in the debate, it highlights a broader reality: Younger job seekers often view workplace expectations differently than previous generations. Understanding those differences is increasingly important for employers who want to attract and retain talent. It’s a topic we will explore in depth in our next Partner for Success workshop on Thursday, October 22.
NKU Norse Network Hub Executive Director Liz Juszczyk will discuss what employers need to know about hiring today’s students. Drawing on insights from employers, students, and workforce professionals, Liz will discuss current trends, common misconceptions, and effective strategies for attracting, engaging, and retaining Northern Kentucky's emerging workforce.
Join us for this timely discussion. The event takes place at the Kentucky Career Center, 1324 Madison Avenue, Covington, from 1:30 to 3:00 PM on October 22. While in-person attendance is highly recommended, a remote link is available for those who cannot attend in person. Register here or request the link by emailing NKYWorks@NKADD.org.
Partner for Success is a quarterly workshop series co-sponsored by NKY Works, the Northern Kentucky Area Development District, the Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board, and the Kentucky Career Center. Events are always free and focus on topics pertinent to employer best practices for workforce development. Join our mailing list here.