If you want any job then applying for all of them may be the best strategy. Eventually supply & demand should work in your favor. If you want to target a small number of companies you will have to do the work to get your foot in the door.

In the software development business you see lots of companies hiring, but few willing to take on juniors or people they will have to train. You need to present yourself as the person who can get productive quickly, and work as a member of a team. Past work experience sends that message better than a list of languages and frameworks, which is why people with little or no actual work experience have a disadvantage.

Competition is most intense at the low end. Companies get lots of applications from people who don’t have a lot of experience, and people who don’t even match the requirements. You need to get out of that queue.

The best way to get the job you want is through personal contacts. Those can be people you know from school or previous jobs, people you meet at conferences or meetups, friends of friends. Good recruiters (yes, they exist) can open doors and get around automated CV screening. You don’t have to fake schmooze or build up LinkedIn “connections,” but you do have to put in some effort beyond clicking Apply on a web site.

I have some articles on my web site typicalprogrammer.com you might find helpful. I recommend the book Who’s Hiring Who by Richard Lathrop.