References when my manager was laid off too

My manager was laid off too and I am unsure who to use as a reference. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. A colleague offered to vouch for me.

A client reference worked well for me. It shows you deliver outside the company too.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.