A large share of junior hiring, especially at smaller companies, happens through referrals — someone inside vouching for someone they know. It is one of the highest-conversion routes into a role, and it is the one students most often assume is unavailable to them.
A referral solves the employer's actual problem: hiring is risky, a CV and a short interview reveal only so much, and a vouch from someone already trusted reduces that risk. It does not replace being competent — a referred candidate who cannot do the work still fails the interview — but it gets you a real conversation far more reliably than a cold application does.
A network does not mean senior industry contacts. At this stage, it realistically includes: instructors and teachers, who often know local employers directly; classmates, some of whom will get hired before you and can vouch for you later; alumni of your course or institute already working; anyone from a previous job, even unrelated to tech; family friends and acquaintances who happen to work anywhere near the field.
Most students already have more of this than they think — they just haven't activated it, because asking for anything from it feels uncomfortable.
Do not open with "can you get me a job." Start with a genuine, specific, low-pressure ask: "I'm applying for junior developer roles — do you know anyone hiring, or would you mind if I mentioned your name when I apply somewhere you've worked?" That is easy to say yes to, because it asks for information or a small favour, not a guaranteed outcome.
Never fabricate a connection
Never claim a connection or a referral you don't actually have. It is easy to check, it damages the person whose name you used, and it damages you far more permanently than the rejection you were trying to avoid.
A network built the week you start job hunting is thin and obvious. One built over the months before — genuinely helping classmates, staying in touch with instructors, actually engaging with people online rather than only when you want something — is available and natural when you actually need it.
People who took the same course and are now working are an unusually good resource: they know exactly what you learned, remember what the transition into work felt like, and are often willing to help precisely because someone helped them the same way not long ago. If your institute has any alumni group or channel, that is worth using directly for this.