Letter of recommendation after 5 years?

[Anonymous]

I need to submit a couple of letters of recommendation for a job, but I've been self-employed for about 5 years. I am having a client write one, but I should have one from a former supervisor. It's been about 5 years since I've had one. Is there a proper way to go about asking for one? Do I need to invite him out to coffee or is a phone call best? Please help this introvert out.

[Anonymous]

I just called people and they were surprisingly happy to hear from me and happy to serve as references. I did not ask for letters, just to use their names and to accept phone calls from potential employers. If you are going to ask for letters, you should probably write up something to remind them of your accomplishments and work habits.

[Anonymous]

Just call (or email) and be sure to offer to provide your resume and summary of accomplishments. I am always happy to serve as a reference, even for people who I supervised many years ago. A letter is always time consuming so I appreciate the offer of assistance. (In fact, I have even had folks write the first draft for me.) I wouldn't want to do coffee unless you were particularly close to me as I don't have time to burn and would be annoyed that I had to meet you just so you could ask me to do you a favor. I'm an introvert too, so maybe that's why a call or email is preferable to me though.