Earlier this week H&M in the UK, in a bid to help men look and feel confident, announced a new scheme allowing suit loans to men who have a job interview for 24 hours.

The scheme, called 'One/Second/Suit', offers a navy suit, a white shirt, a navy blue tie paired with a red handkerchief for 24 hours and free of charge.

Those with interviews can book online and the suit will be delivered to their homes. Once the suit was worn, it must be returned to the store. The store will handle the dry clean and preparations for the next person to wear.

If returned within the 24 hour time slot, all delivery and cleaning services are free of charge. But if the job seeker hangs onto the suit longer than stipulated, they will be charged GBP 50. 

If the suit is not returned at all, or is damaged beyond repair, the individual will be billed GBP 116.94.

The scheme was developed by Uncommon Creative Studio in London, which found that many prospective employers take one second to assess a candidate's suitability for the role.

According to Forbes magazine, people take around seven seconds to make a judgement on who a person is, while research by Princeton suggests that traits such as trustworthiness are assessed in just one-10th of a second.

Regardless of the difference in time taken to judge, the message remains clear... First impressions are key.

In statements, the head of marketing and communications at H&M, Sara Spannar, explained the reasoning behind the scheme.

“Job interviews can be a nerve-wracking experience, but we believe nothing should hold you back, least of all what you wear,” she said, adding, “The One/Second/Suit is ready-to-wear confidence. A signal to the world and a reminder to yourself that you’ve got what it takes.”