Who do I ask for a reference after a layoff? after 12 years as a recruiter

I worry a reference will only confirm dates of employment. There are 12 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. A colleague offered to vouch for me. How do you ask politely?

Ask former colleagues and supervisors in a short message and give them a summary of the job you are applying for.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 5 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.