The hard case is moving from your first IT job.

Look for references outside your employer.

Way back in the mainframe days, we were running compiles and tests down the street at another insurance company. Their data center manager gave me a reference.

Customers and vendors are good.

Once in your second job, you can use previous managers and co-workers.

There were a few employers that called me back to help out in my spare time which I was happy to do.