I specialise in connecting graduates and undergraduates with small to medium sized businesses (SMEs). Covering internships, placements, and permanent positions. Across most industry sectors and job types, and in all areas of the UK.
I started my recruitment career in 2005, and over the years I’ve filled a huge range of job vacancies. Since 2016, I have chosen to specialise in working with undergraduates and graduates. I enjoy this as you are beginning your career journey and have a lot of potential, but often need a bit of extra help. It’s great to see how many of the graduates who I have found work for have progressed, and developed successful careers.
Home based
If you are an engineering graduate who enjoy hands on-work, travelling to different sites, and solving problems, then this could be a great role for you.
Oxfordshire
You’ll play a key part in helping to organise projects. There will be plenty of administration work, documents to create and file, and lots of different people to speak with.
This could be the ideal role for you if you're an engineering graduate who enjoys fixing things, working on projects, and thinking of ways that things can be done better.
West Sussex
The technology is highly innovative; it has green credentials and the potential to disrupt global markets.
Please use the form to send a message if you would like to hear more. If you are looking for work, please attach your CV and use the comment box to add a summary of what you’re ideally looking for.
“Matthew is very supportive and enthusiastic. Was there from start to finish and always open to any questions I had about the position. Highly recommend to any recent graduates as Matthew gives amazing advice on how to prep for the interview. Thank you for finding me my perfect job.”
“I have dealt with several recruitment professionals and by far Matthew is head and shoulders above the rest. Responses to any questions I had were very thorough and swift even outside of normal office hours.”
“In brief, Matthew is a standout professional in his field. He showed support, respect and dedication during my process of getting a new role. Thank you very much! Keep up the great work!”
“Matthew helped me discover my potential after graduating from university. It's difficult to find jobs that are interesting, local and relevant to your degree and interests. Most people at this stage in their career have never had a 'proper job' as well, so my interview and job application skills were lacking a bit. His graduate recruitment services have helped me overcome all of this, enabling me to properly kick start my career.”
“Matthew is an excellent recruiter and helped me secure my first job after graduating. He has been attentive every step of The way and has been very helpful! I have also recommended him to a friend who he has been very helpful for.”
“Matthew is a very kind and helpful man, who helped me through the application to get my current internship. Not only was he helpful but he was also very attentive, making sure I had answers to any questions I had. Would highly recommend dealing with him for future applications.”
“Matthew is an excellent recruiter who goes above and beyond. He was very supportive throughout the application process and provided thorough advice at every stage.”
“Matthew was nothing short of amazing throughout my recruiting and hiring process! He was attentive, kept me informed throughout the journey, and checked in with me every step of the way. He happily answered any questions I had and gave me tips and tricks to help me during interviews. Without him I wouldn't have been able to gain my position.”
“I cannot thank Matthew enough for what he did for me as well as his professionalism and courtesy. I would recommend Matthew and SME Graduate Employment to anyone.”
“Matthew has been incredibly supportive, made sure to keep me updated throughout the process and regularly checks in as well. From CV tips to interview preparation, he has been a key part of my application process moving smoothly. An absolute pleasure!”
“Matthew reached out to me via LinkedIn and sent a message regarding a role in IT. After I looked into it carefully the role looked exactly like what I was going for and as I mentioned to him this seemed "too good to be true". He completely went above and beyond and secured me a job in my dream career and I can't thank him enough!”
“Matthew was incredibly helpful and proactive from the initial application and ensuring my fit with the role all the way through to securing the role. He made the entire recruitment process feel smooth and manageable.”
“Matthew took the time to understand my background and career goals. Thanks to his help, I landed a graduate that aligns perfectly with my aspirations. It was clear throughout that he truly cares about the people he supports. If you're looking for a recruiter who goes the extra mile and is genuinely amazing at what he does, I couldn't recommend Matthew enough!”
“Matthew was a great help to landing my first tech job, he was thorough and providing guidance and help throughout the whole journey. Overall he was a great guy and I could not recommend him enough for anyone in the job market.”
“Matthew is excellent and provided support throughout the whole job application process, from helping me improve my CV to interview preparation. I feel as if my role and the company are a great fit for me, and Matthew spent time and effort to make sure of this. Ultimately I wouldn't have my job without his encouragement and guidance.”
“Matthew was key in helping me find a trainee role after struggling in the year after graduating from university to find a job with clear progression.”
“Matthew was instrumental in helping me get my placement role. I am extremely grateful for his support throughout the application and interview process, and his website has a lot of helpful information that helped me prepare. His service was impeccable!”
“Matthew was extremely helpful, after months of searching for a job and having no luck, Matthew personally reached out to me and within a month I'd say of him calling me I had landed a job that matched exactly what I wanted to do in life.. I'll always recommend him to anyone looking.”
“Matthew is the best recruiter I have ever had the pleasure of working with. His advice and guidance was invaluable throughout my graduate role application and he always went above and beyond for me.”
No- not a penny. Employers pay me to find students and graduates that they don’t have the time, skills, profile, or contacts, to find. And no, my fee will not come out of your salary, or affect you in any way. It’s the same as when a business pays for the services of an accountant, or an IT or business consultant: it’s a professional service that I offer, and one that they are happy to pay for.
Employers ask me to find students and graduates who they are not able to find themselves. These employers usually only recruit small numbers of graduates. It’s vital that they make the right hire. Someone who has the required skills, enthusiasm, and long-term interest. There are various things I do to assess this.
The opportunities I have are generally when the business needs someone and can be at various times of the year. There is always a lot of interest, and a key part of my role is to narrow this down to a small number who will the employer will interview. I also look to find out what students and graduates are looking for so there is a good mutual match. Find out more here. When applying, it’s important that your application is relevant and strong, as you need to stand out and show genuine interest. You can see hints and tips in the blogs and advice section of this website.
Yes, and I make a donation to all 4 each time a placement is made.
I can’t get everyone a job, I wish I could. But I have got plenty of undergraduates and graduates work over the years and will continue to do so. My work is largely employer-led in that when a vacancy is available I will look for suitable candidates. The jobs I have on at any one time can vary in terms of location and job type.
It’s always worth getting in contact, as something suitable could come up at any time.
I do also let employers know about carefully-selected and particularly strong candidates who are available in their area.
I will give you guidance on your application, and should you be selected for interview there is also a lot of help, advice, and support that I can give. If successful, I will also be there for you when you start your new role, and happy to discuss any issues you may have as you settle in. See the recommendations on the right of this page to see how I have helped others.
I am contacted by hundreds of people each week, and unfortunately I am not able to help everyone. It’s just me in the business, this is through choice, as everyone who deals with me will have the benefit of my experience and I don’t need to delegate anything.
It does mean that I am very busy, and my main focus does need to be on students and graduates who are going forward for currently available jobs. But if we have spoken to some extent I will definitely bear you in mind should something suitable come up, though please be aware that I am probably not going to be able to be in regular contact unless I am speaking with you about a specific role.
You can find advice in various areas in the ‘blogs and advice’ section. If you are finding it difficult to get a graduate role I would also strongly recommend contacting your university careers department, if you have not already done so, as they can offer loads of help and support.
I understand the need to be careful, as there are some agencies out there who are not reputable. There are ways you can assess quality and reputation: for example my years of experience, and Google and LinkedIn reviews and recommendations (some of which can be seen in the testimonials section of this page).
I have seen one or two university websites that say you should only deal with recruiters who are members of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, but this is very misleading. The REC is an opt-in industry association, with a cost, and most recruiters are not members. I have looked into membership, but chose not to pay over £1,000 to join. As you will see above, I prefer to spend money with the charities and the diversity-focused organisation that SME Graduate Employment partners with.
Membership can be a sign of quality, but it is far from the only one. There are best practices that members need to adhere to, but this does not mean that non-members do not follow the same best practices, or are not reputable. Nor that REC members are automatically better.
You can find out more about SMEs here I have a huge network of employers that I work with, and find and contact new ones each day. They are from from a wide variety of industry sectors and locations. So, the jobs that I have available at any one time can vary.
I do these all myself. It is a hugely important part of the process, and I would never trust AI to do it for me.
Yes, 100%. I know some agencies do post jobs that are not real, but it is not something I ever do. Apart from the moral reasons, I do not have the time, or the need, to do this. I always have a wide range of roles to work on, and a huge range of employers who I work with.
164 LinkedIn recommendations
Client Reviews
20+ Years
Recruitment Experience
Charitable donations
made to 4 charities each time someone is placed in a job.
A donation is made to each of SME Graduate Employment’s 4 charity partners every time a placement is made.
You can find out more about them here:
