Matt Watson celebrates his first anniversary of joining Rainier PR, now part of Speed, today. He made originally contact via Twitter and caught our attention via his blog. We caught up this morning and talked about how Twitter has developed during the last 12 months, his experience of London, and the challenges that graduates face in securing a job this year.

You were one of the first people in the UK to be hired via Twitter. Are you still a fan?
Yes, but Twitter has changed a lot in the last year. It’s gone from a small cluster of early adopters and social media types to people actually using it on a regular if not daily basis to pitch journalists, build relationships and crowdsource.

Have you any job hunting tips for graduates leaving university year?
Start early and don’t give up. Getting a job is undoubtedly harder for new graduates than it was a year ago, but it many ways the recession has been a wake-up call. The expectation that you will walk straight into a great job after graduating has gone.

Did your university degree prepare you for your career?
To an extent. It gave me the basic skill set I needed to do the job, but I think you learn a hell of a lot on the job, and by asking questions and soaking up the experience of your colleagues.

What’s your best professional moment of the last 12 months?
Best moment has to be either bagging my first piece of coverage in the Financial Times or receiving a phone call from the BBC to ask about the Google mashup map I had developed for National Work From Home Day.

Do you enjoy London?
I like how London can sometimes feel like a big community as there are always shows and events on that can help you learn new things and meet new people. But at the same time it can feel a long way from home (Liverpool in my case). Throw yourself into things like meetups, tweetups and have a few drinks with your colleagues and housemates you’ll make friends in no time.