How to Get a Reference When You've Never Had a Tech Job

TL;DR - References matter, and "who can vouch for your technical work?" is hard to answer without employment history. - Real sources of technical references: nonprofit project supervisors, bootcamp instructors or TAs, open source maintainers, freelance clients, and mentors you've done real work with. - A reference is built over time by doing real work and communicating well. You can't manufacture one at the last minute. - When you ask someone to be a reference, be specific: tell them what you're applying for and what you'd like them to emphasize. - Non-technical references from former employers aren't worthless. Character and reliability matter, especially for junior roles. - Start building reference relationships months before you'll need them.

References are one of those things people don't think about until a hiring manager asks for them. Then the question lands hard: who can actually speak to your technical work when you've never worked as an engineer?

This is a real problem for a lot of early-career developers. You've learned to code. You've built things. But your employment history is in retail, or teaching, or customer service, and the people who can speak to your character and work ethic don't know the first thing about your code.

The answer isn't to wait until you've had a job. The answer is to build technical reference relationships before you need them, through the work you're already doing.

Why References Matter

References don't always get checked, but when they do, they carry weight. A hiring manager who talks to someone who supervised your technical work and hears "she was reliable, shipped working code, asked good questions, and got better fast" is going to feel a lot better about making an offer than one who gets a generic character reference from a former retail manager.

Even when companies say they'll do reference checks, some skip them for junior roles. But there are situations where references matter more:

When you're one of two finalists and the decision is close
When the company is small and every hire feels high-stakes
When you're applying through a referral and the referrer's reputation is on the line
When the job requires trust or responsibility beyond typical entry-level scope

Even if your references never get called, being able to say confidently "yes, I have three people who can speak to my technical work" signals something. It means you've done real work with real people, not just built things alone in your apartment.

Where Technical References Actually Come From

Nonprofit or volunteer project supervisors

If you've worked on a nonprofit software project, even unpaid, the person who led that project can be a reference. They've seen you read code, ask questions, make changes, communicate about your work, and ship something real.

This is one of the cleanest ways to get a technical reference before employment. Nonprofit software projects are specifically valuable because they involve a supervisor relationship, not just a peer contribution.

Bootcamp instructors or TAs

If you attended a bootcamp, your instructors saw your work over weeks or months. They watched you work through problems, collaborate with others, and build real things. A strong relationship with an instructor or TA, one where you asked good questions, contributed in class, and did work they remember, can produce a real reference.

Not every bootcamp instructor makes a great reference. But if there's someone from your training who actually knows your work, that relationship is worth maintaining.

Open source project maintainers

A maintainer who reviewed your PRs, gave you feedback, and merged your work has seen your technical work directly. If you've made several contributions to a project and built a relationship with a maintainer, asking them to serve as a reference is reasonable.

This takes more time to build than most people realize. One merged PR is not enough. But if you've been contributing to a project for a few months and have a genuine back-and-forth with a maintainer, that person can speak to your ability to read code, respond to feedback, and make careful changes.

Freelance clients

A client who hired you, worked with you through a project, and now uses something you built is a reference. They can speak to your reliability, communication, and the fact that you delivered a real product.

Technical depth will vary by client. A small business owner probably can't evaluate your code quality, but they can speak to whether you showed up, communicated well, solved the problem you said you'd solve, and handled feedback reasonably. For junior roles, that matters.

Mentors

If you've been meeting regularly with a mentor who has looked at your code, given you feedback, and watched you grow, that person can be a reference. This requires more than a few coffee chats. A real mentor reference comes from someone who has seen your actual work over time.

If you don't have a mentor yet, the networking guide for engineers covers how to build those relationships in a way that doesn't feel transactional.

How to Build a Reference Relationship

A reference isn't something you ask for at the end of a project. It's something that develops over the course of working well with someone. Here's what that actually looks like.

Do real work

This sounds obvious, but it's the foundation. The people who make the strongest references are those who can speak specifically about your contributions. "She took on the data import feature, debugged a parsing issue that had been open for weeks, and wrote clear documentation" is a strong reference. "He seemed hardworking and motivated" is a weak one.

Do work that's specific and visible. If you're on a team, take ownership of something. If you're contributing to open source, make changes that have impact and are reviewed carefully.

Communicate clearly and consistently

References often hinge on communication as much as technical skill. Show up to meetings. Follow through on what you say you'll do. When you're stuck, say so early and with context, not at the last minute when it's become a problem.

People who agree to be references are implicitly vouching for your professionalism, not just your code. The person who was reliable and kept people in the loop is the one who gets a strong reference.

Ask for feedback over time, not just at the end

If you wait until you're about to apply for jobs to ask for feedback, you miss the chance to grow and you miss the chance to build a genuine relationship. Ask for feedback while you're working: "Is there anything about how I'm approaching this that I should do differently?" or "How would you have handled this problem?"

When you act on feedback and come back with "I tried the approach you suggested and here's what happened," you demonstrate something that references consistently mention: coachability. That trait stands out for junior candidates.

Stay in touch

Reference relationships don't require frequent contact, but occasional check-ins matter. Share an update when something goes well. Send a note when you land an interview at a company they'd know. These small touches keep the relationship warm so that when you do need to ask, it doesn't feel like it came out of nowhere.

How to Ask Someone to Be a Reference

When you're ready to ask, be direct and specific. Don't hint at it. Don't preface it with a long apologetic preamble. Just ask.

"I'm in the final stages with a company called [name] for a junior backend role. Would you be willing to serve as a reference? They'll likely ask about my contributions to [project]."

Then give them what they need: - A copy of your resume - The job description you're applying for - A brief summary of what you'd like them to emphasize (the specific project, the skills you used, the problems you solved) - How and when they'll be contacted

Giving your reference a clear brief makes their job easier and your reference more effective. A reference who can say "I understand you're specifically interested in her backend experience, so let me tell you about the API work she did on our project" is more useful than one who gives a generic overview.

What to Do If You Only Have Non-Technical References

Non-technical references aren't worthless. Character references from former employers, professors, or community leaders can still speak to your reliability, work ethic, and how you handle difficult situations.

If your only references are non-technical:

Be honest about it. If asked for references, you can say: "I don't have a former manager in a technical role yet, but I have [X] who supervised my volunteer software work and [Y] who I worked with on [project]. I also have references from my previous career who can speak to my work ethic and reliability."

Supplement with evidence. A strong portfolio, a thoughtful GitHub history, and clear project documentation can compensate somewhat for the absence of a strong technical reference. The evidence of your work should speak where a reference can't.

Accelerate the relationship-building. If you're three months from an active job search and you don't have a technical reference, now is the time to take on real work with a real supervisor. A nonprofit project or a freelance client found through a warm network can produce a reference in a compressed timeline if you're deliberate about it.

The Long View

Most people think about references at the wrong time. They build their portfolio, apply for jobs, get asked for references, and then scramble.

The better approach: build reference relationships as a natural byproduct of doing real work. Join a project. Contribute consistently. Communicate well. Ask for feedback. These behaviors produce references as a side effect, not as a goal.

By the time a hiring manager asks for contacts, you want to have three or four people you could call today who would take the call and say something specific and positive about your technical work.

That's the goal. Build toward it now.

For more on building the experience that makes references possible, see the guide on getting real software engineering experience before your first job.

If you want structured help building the relationships and experience that lead to strong references, here's how the Globally Scoped program works.