looking for Tech recruiters! Employee refferals!

Im new to bay area, and have looking for local jobs. i tried applying through linkedin, but havent been hearing back. I get calls from facebook, google, netfix etc but not from any non FAANG companies. Do most of these jobs require internal employee referrals? I dont have a good network here, as i have working in other state all my life. Not sure, if the hiring has slowed down, i have no luck getting a phone interview call here.