VXL Training

We Have A - LMS

2012-03-04T07:12:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the unexpected things happen in business. For my benefit of my students I have been recording all the classes that we offer. But there was nothing in the market that I could find where I could distribute my videos of my classes. Our videos are sometimes 4 hours long and you could forget about You Tube. Even if they allowed such long videos there was no way to keep it secure and give out access to students easily.

So I spend a crazy amount of money and working with JAVA developers to develop my own Learning Management System (LMS). I do not have a fancy name for it yet, but we will come up with a name.

I have a simple and elegant system in which I can access to any of my classes that we offer within minutes to any student from around the world. It can keep track of when they are watching our videos, how long they have been watching our videos and a host of other features that we have installed.

I was chatting with a friend that owns a similar company and he wanted to know if he could buy our LMS. So I sold it to him for $3000. This was a fraction of what I spend to develop it, but I never dreamed of selling it for any money so I figured, every dollar that comes in is profit.

Then I thought about it. If someone wants to buy it, maybe there is a market for something like this. So we have decided to hire a bunch of JAVA developers and make it even more robust and add a lot more features and start selling our LMS to other small companies or individuals. You never know how people will use the product until you start showing the market place.

I just thought that it was interesting that I developed a product that I needed so that my kids could benefit from watching my videos again and again and this has become a product. Sometimes life takes you in interesting directions.

By the way, all my friends made fun of me and did not even believe that someone would offer to buy it, but the very next day one of them came to me and asked if he could have it also, and since he was a friend, he said he knew that I would give it to him for free and would not charge him.

Hummmm! Interesting!!!

Anyway, thanks kids, only by my trying to improve the experience for you at our training center would this product have even come into existence. I will now put a team together and work on it and see if we can start selling it.

Like I said, you never know where a product or idea comes about. Mine was inspired by my students.

Guest House Remodeling

2012-03-04T06:57:00.000-05:00

I went to the guest office a few days back and there were a whole bunch of small things wrong that I found immediately that no one told me about. I had not visited the Guest House since we had bought it. Then I got to the kitchen and found that the dishwasher was unplugged. So I asked in the office and they told me that it kept breaking and they simply unplugged it, since it was costing so much to fix it each time. They even blamed the kids and told me that they were messing it up and did not know how to use a dishwasher. There is no way College Graduates with masters degree do not know how to use a dishwasher as to make it breakdown. The likely scenario is that the dishwasher was old or the drain was clogged and hence the leaky dishwasher. But to tell me that my kids do not know how to use a dishwasher is ridiculous.

I called in Lance my handyman and since the appliances were old, I am remodeling the entire kitchen. So why am I spending $10,000 to redo the entire kitchen? The answer if very simply. If I was staying in the guest house, would I be happy with something. There is no way I could stay somewhere where there was no dishwasher, especially with 6 people staying together. I could make do with the old stove that was there, but I figured, now that I started, might as well fix up everything. So here we are, with a big huge repair bill to fix every small little thing that is wrong in the guest house.

No kids, I am spending a lot of money on fixing up and upgrading everything, please treat the property with respect. After you leave other students need to stay there and it is important that they have a good experience also.

I want my kids to be happy when they are with me and this is something that simply had to be done, so yes I really did spend $10,000 to fix up the guest house.

Office Front Doors

2012-03-04T06:42:00.000-05:00

I paid a great deal of money to install magnetic locks in our office. You can only enter with a card key. My friends always complain that my office doors are locked. You have to view it from my point of view. I have at least 10-20 students at any one time studying with me, and each one has their own time period that they study. Some study at night and some study during the day.

I mainly put the locks in place so that the students that are girls will feel safe when they are studying in our office.

I dream a lot and I get ideas and now that I have money I simply implement the ideas. I am sure in the consulting business my office would be the most high-tech office anyone has ever seen. I have the best Electronic White Boards (Promethean), the best 1080P Projectors, and the best Speaker Phones (Polycom).

I had a few students complain that they could not hear in the back of the room, so I bought a wireless mic with speakers so that it will not be an issue.

I am sure that I bug the hell out of my partners in the business when I spend crazy amounts of money on getting the best of everything. I know I have a problem, I care way too much about quality than about money. I will continue to spend massive amounts of money on getting my students the best. Weather it is spending $5000 to install Magnetic Locks on our Front Door or flying in a teacher from another city, I can guarantee you that I will get my students the best of everything.

And, yes I really did spend $5000 on installing locks for our front doors. I wanted my female students to feel safe and comfortable in our office.

Recruitment - Michigan Collegiate Job Fair

2012-02-24T14:31:00.002-05:00

I had signed up for this large recruitment event for March 23rd that was going to be held at Barton Manor in which 900 college students were going to attend. I paid $1620 and signed up for advertising in their magazine and for a booth for recruitment. I was actually on a trip to Hawaii during that time and I was going to cut my trip short, and come back just to recruit some recent college graduates.

Then I get the below email from the coordinator:

________________________________________________________________

Good Morning Vijay,

In processing your registration for the upcoming Michigan Collegiate Job Fair, I noticed that your organization is specifically looking for recent Master level graduates to do an internship with your organization followed by placement. I also see that those candidates who are not master level graduates will be charged $1500-$2500 for services provided. In reviewing your website and and the type of candidates you are seeking, I'm don't believe this fair will be the best venue for you in terms of recruiting candidates. This fair will primarily consist of graduating seniors (undergraduate) and recent alumni who is not your target population.

I will keep your contact information on file and notify you of any future opportunities that may arise that would be a better fit.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

__________________________________________________________

I called this young lady and explained to her our process and what we can do for these students. She listened, but not really listened.

I saw the list of employers that are coming and if you are a recent graduate and I can guarantee you that the job opportunities that are available will be in the $30,000-$50,000 with very slow advancement.

With us, we will pay $56,000 first year and by second year our employees will be close to $100,000. Unless you got a job with one of the big consulting companies at these career events there is no way any opportunity they provide will come even close to what we can provide.

I was telling this young lady about the opportunity we provide and how much our employees make by second year, and she heard me, and completely ignored everything I told her, and then said that since I do not offer a position right away and that a position was not guaranteed after the training then I could not recruit at their event.

I can correlate this to an event that happened when I was a child. I wanted this car racing set that also had a train set integrated into it. We went to the toy store and they were all sold out, but there was another set that was just a car racing set without the train. My mom told me to wait and they would buy it again when it came back in stock. But I told my mom that I wanted that toy right away and I was unwilling to wait. Even though I knew that waiting was the better option, I was unwilling to wait, and I got my car racing set.

These students are not children anymore, so would you take an entry level job paying $30,000-$50,000 a year now and take ten years to get to the $100,000 range or take training for 90 days with me, and get a chance to make $100,000 by the second year. I assume that most of the students are not small children anymore and they will choose my option when they hear what I have to offer.

OK, fellow American kids, I tried my best to recruit and train you for free and then place you into high paying IT jobs, but other Americans are holding me back and not even giving me a chance to help you. I will NOT make any extra effort anymore to recruit you guys at jobs fairs. You will have to come and find me, if you want my help.

I really like and want to help Americans succeed in the IT sector. There are currently 2,000,000 IT jobs that are currently unfilled, because there are no people available with that skill set that companies are looking for.

I guess I can just keep helping all these F1 students that come to me and be happy with that, but.... There is something that wants me to help these American Students that simply do not understand how to get high paying jobs. The kids at Princeton, Yale and Harvard will always do fine, but for you kids from Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University and Western Michigan University, I would say that the large majority of you need my help to get a high paying job.

In life it is very easy to get a job that pays below $50,000 but to move to the next level of $100,000 and above you need my help.

He works like an American!

2012-02-22T02:31:00.000-05:00

I got this comment about one of my employees. What does this mean? I trained an African American student that had dropped out of college and was working as a front desk clerk in IT and placed him in a Fortune 500 company. I had another employee there already and when I asked her how my recent employee was doing. Her comment was, "He works like an American."

In the consulting world, when you work with most Indian Consulting companies, they bid very aggressively to get projects and the Indian consultants know this. They know that they are expected to work nights and weekends without compensation so that the project can be delivered on time and budget.

Since most of my students are new in the field and relatively young, I hope that they realize how important it is to work, night and day for a few years. Money should be secondary, experience is what is important.

To work like an American is to work 9-5 and that is it. You can get back to working like an American after a few years of real experience, but until then, work like an Indian or a Chinese.

By the way my employee that works like an American is doing great, because he is very friendly and he gets along with the business side and the development side. These two sides are always in battle on a project and he is able to bridge the gap. But, please work harder at least for 2-3 years. From the beginning of the 2nd year his salary will increase close to $100,000 and I am hoping that this will motivate him.

Is Placement Guaranteed?

2012-02-22T02:18:00.000-05:00

Is placement guaranteed? I just got this question, again, for the umpteenth time.

Listen everybody, I am going to say it one last time.

Nothing in Life is Guaranteed!!!!!!

If life was that easy, then each and everyone of us would be a millionaire.

To be conservative about 70-80% of my students get placed. (I think the it is even higher).

I will get you the best teachers for the subjects that you take with us and I will spend whatever it takes to get you trained and placed.

Sometimes the way I am and what drives me is almost a curse. I strive to have the BEST. I strive to be the BEST. I work tirelessly and spend everything I have to achieve that.

I see most of my friends reduce costs in their company and stash all the money they can into investments. Money does not drive me. What drives me is perfection. What drives me is to be the best at what I do. I see all my friends with millions in investments, but I do not think that I will ever get there, because as much as I make, which is a lot, I will continue to spend most of it on improving our facilities for students so that each batch of new students will have a better experience with us.

I see all the other consulting companies squeeze every penny and keep buying land in India or buying Gold or other silly investments. I can guarantee you that I will never do that.

In the end I may not end up super rich, but I will know that I effected my students lives in a positive way, and that makes me super happy.

Why is our Fridge Full of Food!

2012-02-14T00:02:00.003-05:00

All my friends that own consulting companies are making fun of me that I fill our office fridge full of food and drinks for my students.

I think it has been a long time since they have been students, but I do this for one simple reason.

I never know which student has money and which students do not have money, so I buy food and keep the fridge always full with the intent that in case any of my student do not have money they can always have a meal for lunch and dinner. It was not some sort of benefit that I am offering to attract students. It was done purely altruistically.

By the way I do not use company money for this purpose, I use my own money for this.

Benefits to my Consultants

2012-02-13T23:51:00.000-05:00

What are the real benefits that we offer to F1 students over other consulting companies:

1) Direct Deposit - This is such an important feature and you will not realize how important it is until you have to wait for a check to come in the mail and the consulting companies keep giving you excuses as to why your check is late. With us it is quite simple, your check will be in your account on the 15th of the month, and it is that simple, no ifs ands or buts.

2) F1 to H1B - We have a 100% approval rate for getting H1B's for F1 students. Why is this? We follow the H1B rules, 100%. It is that simple.

3) If you are eligible we do EB2 category for Green Card processing instead of EB3. This is such an important benefit, because you will get your Green Card in 2 years instead of 5. You guys will not realize how important this is, until that Green Card is in your hands.

4) If I promise you something, I will never and I mean never go back on my word. I will not lie to you. Good news or bad news, I will tell you man to man and not avoid you like all those other consulting companies.

5) If you call me, I will pick up the phone. If I am awake I will pick up the phone, no matter what the time is. If I am on another call, I will call you back right away. I have seen so many consulting company owners that look at their phone to see who is calling before they decide to pick up the phone or not. I will not do that, if I am available, I will pick up the phone.

6) We have such a wide breath of training and when you are one of our consultants all support and training is always FREE for you. I encourage you to take more training with us so that you can improve your bill rate. I LOVE students that like to learn and will help you to become a better you.

I believe that these are some of the real benefits that we offer.

Unusual Placement

2012-02-13T23:36:00.000-05:00

Today we did an unusual placement and I though that I would mention it. I got a call from an F1 student that said that he was already trained in Informatica and could I place him?

I told him to send me a resume and I would have my Informatica teacher talk to him and judge his skill set and if he was good, I would market him and place him. He turned out to be very good and we are currently marketing him and I think he will be placed this week.

One of his friends call me and told me that he was trained in .NET and would I place him? Same procedure and he also turned out to be excellent. I placed him today and I got his Purchase Order today for him and his start date for his project is Feb 27th.

I am used to teaching my students and then placing them, but this was absolutely the first time that I placed someone that I did not train.

I am obsessed with quality and I know the quality of my students that I train, so I am very comfortable when I place them, and I am sure that they will succeed. A lot of times, companies call me for newly trained students, since they know how I am and have liked my past students that work(ed) for them.

Our marketing division has become fantastic at placing students and I am now getting students that others have trained. It is an interesting facet to our business.

Tears From a Student

2011-11-24T16:42:00.001-05:00

I had a story out earlier in which we trained a student and her OPT was expiring and we were unable to find her a job in time, and she was forced to switch back to H4 and how she was crying when she was telling me. This hurt me a lot during that time, and even though 95% of that batch got placed, I still felt like a failure since I had failed her.

I am happy to report that I was finally able to place her in a large company and that company has applied for her H1 from H4. Currently there is a RFE (Request for Evidence) on the case, but for a company with 1000's of employees the RFE will not be an issue and she will be working soon. (She did get her H1B and is currently working in NJ)

I may have failed her initially, but I never forgot about her and I finally did succeed with her. We had a party in our house recently and I was very happy when she had asked her husband to take a picture of her and I together.

Yes, OK I admit it, I am making money by placing her, but that was unimportant to me. I just wanted to see her succeed, and she is well on her way to a successful career.

Congrats my dear friend, I am crazy happy for you.

Health Scare

2011-11-24T16:33:00.001-05:00

I have not been diligent in updating the company blog. I had this cough for 4 months that could not be diagnosed and I was sure that I had cancer or maybe worse. I have been very negligent and I can say that I am sorry.

The initial diagnosis is that it is not cancer, but they are still unsure why I have this cough and they are currently culturing the biopsy of the lymph nodes that they took out of me during the biopsy. We will have an answer by December 15th apparently.

Follow Up - (This ending up being nothing. I took Steroids for 9 days and the cough was gone. The final diagnosis was inconclusive)

Success in November

2011-11-24T16:28:00.000-05:00

This year November has been one of the best months for placements for us. October was actually kind of slow, but November has been spectacular and based on the number of interviews I have setup in the upcoming weeks, I think that December will be great like it was last year.

In my current batch of students I have noticed a few things.

Kids that are successful do the below:

1) Even when my kids were not getting interview calls, they kept on studying in our classrooms
2) They would watch our class videos over and over again and practice on the server
3) They would be on the Developer Network constantly reading others peoples issues and the solutions that are posted.
4) They will keep interacting with the teacher and pose lots of questions and keep learning. The really talented students will even give topics that want taught and the teachers always accommodate them.
5) They keep a positive attitude

I know these things are simple and seem almost quaint, but all the above make a big difference when we are marketing our students. If you are one of my students and you have not gotten a job yet, you follow the principles by the successful students and you too will be placed soon.

Email From Farhan Shaikh

2011-11-24T16:19:00.000-05:00

I got the below email from a prospective student: (I wanted to write a comment on this letter for a long time, and I had some free time today, so I thought that I would comment on this exchange.)

From: Farhan Shaikh [mailto:farhancpa@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2011 5:09 PM
To: vijay@vxltraining.com
Subject:

hey Vijay,
are you providing free traning for SAP FICO?
i have a degree in accounting and looking for free traning in michigan area
i live in windsor (Canada ) ... please let me know

I wrote back:

On Wed, Sep 7, 2011 at 11:30 AM, VXL Training <vijay@vxltraining.com> wrote:

When did you finish your master's degree?

Vijay Madala

248-797-4990

Company Blog: vxltraining.blogspot.com

From: Farhan Shaikh [mailto:farhancpa@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 11:50 PM
To: VXL Training
Subject: Re:

you fuckin suck.. you make other feel like as if your top of line school and hire the top instructors and yet you are looking for instructors on miindia..
you can keep your fuckin ego and shove it in your u know what

no i don't have a masters degree

My Blog Entry for this email:

Ok so you got a history of the email between this student and I and there was also a phone call from him in which I talked to him.

Before I take students into training, I have to be able evaluate somebody quickly, weather it is via email or phone call. So let us assume that you are me in this situation and this student wrote this email to you. How do you evaluate him?

Here is my evaluation of this student:

He is not detailed orientated. Notice in his first email and here are the errors I found in an instant, without even trying to find the mistake:

1) Capitalization and punctuation is horrible
2) Training is misspelled twice.
3) Michigan is not capitalized.
4) i should be capitalized and it is not in multiple places.
4) Heading on the email is Hey Vijay. This is simply not how you address someone when you are emailing for the first time.

Even then I wanted to see if he had a Masters Degree to give him the benefit of the doubt to see how much of a drive he had. He did not, so there is no way that I can take him into the training.

His caricaturization of my looking for teachers on MIindia.com is absolutely correct. I am always looking to find the best teachers in the subjects that I offer. I look on Miindia.com because I want to teach all my classes Live, and not online unless that is the only option I have. To say that somehow finding teachers locally means that we do not offer good quality teachers or training is absolutely wrong. I would say that my ABAP, FICO and SD class are in the top 5 in the entire world. My teachers have been with me for years in these subjects and we have perfected the training for the subjects so that our students are well prepared for success when they leave us.

I would like you to find one student that has finished one of my classes that can say that he was not happy. Find me one, not two, but one student. You will be unable to find one.

I do not say things lightly. If I say something then you know that I absolutely believe it to be true. I spend an extraordinary amount of money on my training program, because I want my kids to succeed after they finish with me. That is simply how I operate. Money is not important to me, but I do strive to be the best in almost anything I do, and anyone that comes to my classes will see that.

So the final analysis I am very happy that I did not take the above student into our training. He is not someone that would have succeeded and was simply looking for a free handout. I have seen these types of students frequently and these are the same ones that do not do the work and then still expect success and will blame everybody else for their failure.

Thank goodness I was able to avoid him. He would have caused me countless headaches.

Why are People Not Beating Down My Door?

2011-07-27T18:11:00.003-04:00

If someone promised to train you and place you with a first year salary of $56,000 and a second year salary in the $80,000 range plus benefits in this job market, you would guess that I would have people lining up at my door from morning to night and I would have to hire a few bouncers to keep control of the crowd.

Well I can report that I currently have about 30-40 students in training and I have a nice manageable number of trainees.

I think that the simple answer on why I have not been overwhelmed with crowds is that, what I offer and do, sound to good to be true. Our parents have warned us that if it sounds too good to be true, then it cannot be true and I think that is the reason why I not beating people off with a stick.

In a way I am glad that I am not overwhelmed with crowds. I would have a hard time turning people away when they come to me for help.

I wrote the below letter to be published in the Detroit Telugu Association Newsletter, I am not sure how many changes they will make before it is published, but the below is the full original letter that I have sent to them to get published.

I have been reading about all the unemployed in the Detroit area and I wanted to make sure that anybody that wanted to work is working. I just wanted to point out that the Information Technology market place is red hot.

All these consulting companies in Detroit are a real asset to our community. Most of the consulting companies are teaching cutting edge technologies, and if any of you are decently smart and are unemployed or underemployed then you really need to attend an IT training course and get placed. I know that it sounds almost unbelievable the capabilities these companies have, but I absolutely promise you that it is true.

In the last one year, VXL Training has trained unemployed Americans, Green Card Holders, Masters Students, and Housewives and placed them all. We have placed close to 100 people that were not working before. I do not think that we are special or unique; I think you will find most consulting companies would provide you with similar stories.

The training is typically FREE for recent Masters Gradates, but for the rest the cost is typically $1000-$2500 and it may sound like a steep price to get trained, but this is a very small price to pay to start on the first step of a career.

I own VXL Training and I have seen how successful we have been in helping people, and I just wanted to let our community know our capabilities so that we can help others in our community succeed.

My own sister’s son had graduated with a communications degree and I was asking him to come to VXL Training for a long time, so that I could train him and place him into a career. But he chose to not believe in our capability and tried to land a job on his own. For one year he applied for every job possible with absolutely no luck. Finally when he felt he had tried everything and was left with no more options he finally came to VXL Training. It has been exactly 90 days from the day he landed in Detroit and I am happy to say that we have placed him as a Business Analyst at a Fortune 50 company. The person that came to me 90 days back was an unemployed American with no special skill sets to set him apart in the market place, the person that left us is now very confident and knows that he can get a job as a Business Analyst anytime he wants.

I get so many people question why we are more successful in training and placing students then colleges. The answer is a combination of factors, but generally:

1) Job Focused Training

2) Intensive Hands On Practice

3) Interview Preparation

4) Market Driven Training – We only teach what is in Demand

If you have any questions, please email or call me and I would be happy to try and help you.

Sincerely,

Vijay Madala

vijay@vxltraining.com

248-797-4990

Email Scam by somebody

2011-07-25T21:12:00.001-04:00

Below is the email that somebody got from a Gmail email ID, perpetrating that they were from VXL Inc.

Not sure what this is all about, but I would guess they would ask for money to confirm a job. I really train and place people and I would never ask for money to confirm a job for someone.

Based on the language it seems like it is from someone overseas with English as a second language. The letter is very poorly written.

So, fair warning to everyone, I would not ask people money to confirm a job for you.

The e-mail listed below was sent to me regarding a position with your company. As you can see, the perpetrator is using gmail and yahoo not a valid VXI Training.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: JOB OFFER http://www.christianjobs.com/ APPLICANT.
From: Steven Anthony <anthonysteven0@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, July 25, 2011 7:24 am
To: undisclosed-recipients:;

Dear Applicant.

The Human Resources of ( VXL Inc Company ) has reviewed your Resume, due to your Resume information you have the required qualifications to proceed. There is an Organized Training Program for hired Applicant, and the working hours are flexible, this position is available for Full-Time and Part-Time Candidate and the Pay Scale is negotiable starting with $32.50/hour to $67.16/hour depending upon skill level. Medical and retirement benefits.

Following our newest online screening introduced by Better Business Burea , you are required to setup a yahoo messenger account if you don't have one and add up Mrs Brittany Paris the Hiring Manager on her yahoo IM ( company_hiringmanager@yahoo.com) to your yahoo messenger list for the Job Interview and comprehensive job details. This is our first step to proceed further she will be expecting to hear from you soon.

Kind regards
Human resources
(VXL Inc, online)

Sisters Son - SUCCESS!!

2011-07-25T11:48:00.003-04:00

I wrote about my sisters son a while back and how he used to scoff at me and what I did, and he did not really believe that what we do was possible. He was unemployed for one year and could not find a job after graduating from college. He finally came to me after one year.

Guess what?

Well I am now happy to report that he has finally landed a job. He just got the offer today and we will be getting his contract signed in the next 2 days and he will be starting work from next Monday. (Contract is signed and he is all set to go)

Congrats to the whole team. It took 2-3 weeks longer than I expected, but that is OK, What is a few extra weeks, when we are starting someone on a lifetime of success.

It is always nice when you have finished training at VXL and are just interviewing, because I insist on continuous training. So while he was interviewing for jobs, my sisters son has been learning, QA, Healthcare Domain Skills and other skills.

I just thought that I would report the good news, just in case all my readers wanted a conclusion to that story.

Waiting for Feedback

2011-07-23T09:11:00.000-04:00

This week I was on pins and needles waiting for feedback from 6 interviews of our students. There has been no negative feedback, but then no positive feedback either.

Sometimes the hardest thing in life is just sitting around waiting for news.

Not sure why, I have seen weeks where we have 4-5 placements with competing offers for the same consultants and then some weeks, nothing. The nothing weeks are the tough weeks, you wonder what you are doing wrong? You wonder what else you need to teach? You keep going over the process flow to see where improvements can be made?

Oh well, I will keep sitting on the pins and needles and just waiting.

This Really Happened - What would you do?

2011-07-23T09:05:00.000-04:00

One of my consultants was on her way to the airport in a taxi and the taxi got hit by another car. The other car did not stop so the taxi guy started chasing the car that hit him. He caught the other car after the chase and the two started fighting and hitting each other.

My consultant locked herself in the car and called the police. The police came and found on a gun on one of the guys and arrested both of the drivers of the car.

A very scary incident for sure. I felt that she handled it beautifully. What would you have done?

My student taught me a valuable lesson

2011-07-21T00:45:00.001-04:00

We had a student that we trained and she got a job on the very first interview (This has happened only once before). The usual is that a student will fail his first 3 interviews and then about 75% of the kids succeed in one of the next 3 interviews.

I was amazed by her amazing success and asked her how she had succeeded and could she please share her advice to the rest of the batch so that they could succeed also.

3 paragraphs here has been redacted in this story.

My students feel like they are competing against others for jobs and they do not want my advice to go to competitors for them when they are interviewing. So sorry, my students come first to me over outsiders, so for their piece of mind and benefit, I have redacted the 3 paragraphs that were here before.

Yes, I am always willing to learn. I never say that I have all the answers. I strive to keep improving, because my success is so intertwined in the success of my students.

Training for a Better Future, yes that is our motto and I really mean it.

Difference Between Success and Failure

2011-07-20T16:27:00.002-04:00

This past week we had very different outcome with two of our students. Both were master’s graduates, both seemed motivated, both attended every class.

Sindu (Name changed) got a job this past week and Saran has given up completely and is going back into his original field of Mechanical Engineering.

What are the habits of the successful student and the unsuccessful student?

Successful Candidate:

1) Scared of failure!
2) Worked 8-10 hours a day
3) Redacted for the benefit of my current students - On their request.
4) Redacted for the benefit of my current students - On their request.
5) Worked every day, because she said that the material is volatile and she did not want to forget it
6) Sat in on the 2nd SAP SD class, even after completing the first class
7) Even after getting the job she will sit with the teacher and get ready for her project by being as through as possible and covering what the client is doing currently.

Failure Candidate:

1) He did attend every class, but would sit like a log and never asked questions
2) He claims that he worked 2-3 hours a day, but my guess is that he worked 1 hour a day at most
3) He needed money so he was working at T-Mobile as a sales rep to make money while he was studying with us.
4) Never asked for the online video classes that we have available.

To me the basis idea of success and failure was very simple. You MUST work 8-10 hours a day on the subject you are trying to master. You MUST NOT be working at another job while trying to master something else that you want to work in.

You MUST be scared of failure and work so hard that you are bound to succeed. You MUST, LIVE, DRINK, EAT, and DREAM only about the subject you are leaning from us. You must be engrossed in the subject and nothing else. Nothing else should matter to you.

So what is the difference between success and failure, as far as financially? Sindu is billing in the low 3 figures per hour and in the second year she will make around $150,000 per year. Saran, the failure, so far has experience as a T-Mobile sales rep and his future is still undetermined.

That is the difference between success and failure.

So, yes even with all our hard work and support that we provide we still only have a 90% success rate, and you can never tell who will succeed and who will not. But to ensure your success, follow the example of people that have succeeded.

Zachary Roth and The Lookout Report

2011-07-14T14:00:00.000-04:00

I was reading an article by Zachary Roth in the The Lookout and he gave examples of unemployed Americans and what they had to say.

I read the article and saw all the people that I could help easily. All of you guys need real technical skills. Employers want to hire Americans badly, I see it when we are marketing our students. If you had the right technical skill set guys, you would not be unemployed. The market place currently requires you to be mobile and have the ability to learn and adapt quickly.

I have one kid that I have been training and he has a house that is worth $15,000 and if currently working on fixing it. He says that he only wants a job in Detroit. We can easily get him a job on the east coast and trying to get him a job in Detroit had a 5% probability, but he would rather stay unemployed and in Detroit then to move where the job is. Stuff like this is highly frustrating, but I do the best I can and hopefully the circumstance will change so that my student is willing to leave Detroit.

Below is the full article:

You can read all the stats you want on America's long-term jobless crisis. More than 6.3 million Americans have been out of work for more than half a year. The average jobless stint now lasts longer than nine months. We could go on.

But no facts or figures bring home the grim human dimension of this epidemic better than an account we received from an unemployed Iraq War veteran. "I have led men in combat, but my last job was a temporary cashier position in the women's department at Nordstrom's," he wrote. "I don't get many interviews, but when I do, I get a lot of handshakes and a 'Thank you for your service, but you're not what we're looking for.'"

Nor can they top this description from a reader of what it's like to go for months searching fruitlessly for work: "You start to hear a voice in your head that tells you, 'Perhaps you're just not good enough.'"
When we asked readers recently to share their personal stories of being out of work for an extended period, we expected to get a lot of responses. But we didn't foresee the flood that ensued. "I imagine that you will have to hire more staff to wade through all the emails you get in response to this article," one reader wrote. It turned out she was right: That's exactly what we did.

The thousands of anecdotes you sent us offer a heart-rending glimpse inside the reality of long-term joblessness during the Great Recession and its aftermath. They convey sadness, anxiety, anger, shame, and despair, but sometimes also humor, generosity, and a quintessentially American determination to roll with the punches. And they offer a portrait of out-of-work people who are smart, articulate, motivated, and resilient--a useful corrective to some of the negative stereotypes that too often shape perceptions of this huge group of Americans.

We want to thank all the thousands of readers who took the time to share their personal stories. For reasons of space, we can only publish here a fraction of the number we'd like to. So we've set up a separate website, "Down But Not Out," to showcase many more in full. [ Click here for readers' own tales of long-term joblessness at "Down But Not Out.""]

Meanwhile, here at the The Lookout, we've picked out portions of a smaller number of the most compelling responses, and organized them around some of the major themes that readers highlighted--from accounts of how they lost their job in the first place, to the emotional toll that being without work for so long can take, to the rare and unexpected silver linings that some respondents discovered.

How it all Began: "When the economy imploded in 2009, nobody was building anything"

Many readers described how they first became jobless, with tales that often seemed ripped from the bleak headlines of the last few years--taking in everything from the mortgage meltdown to the housing bust to government budget cuts.

• George C. from Brea, Calif., told us he worked for a bank that had a division that made sub-prime loans. After the housing bust hit, "the federal government ordered the company to cease & desist from all sub-prime operations, because they didn't like banks that were also sub-prime mortgage companies, so that division of the company was shut down," George wrote. Ultimately, the other divisions of the bank were sold, "at which time there was no more work for me to do."

• "I was a steel building detailer with just over 14 years of experience," Tom W. from New Haven, Ind., told us. "When the economy imploded in 2009, nobody was building anything. With no work, my employer was forced to lay off everyone."

• Shannon B., a teacher and school administrator from Phelan, Calif., wrote that she lost her job in February 2009. "When the budget slashes hit, my position was the first to go."

• Jerry, from southern California, told us he had worked in the electrical distribution industry for more than 25 years. "I lost my job in August of 2008 when the housing bubble and second Great Depression were hitting hard. The branch I worked in closed, since the industry relies heavily on new construction."

• "I never saw being let go coming," wrote Elizabeth M., who worked at an educational center. "I simply showed up less and less on the work schedule. Then, after 2 weeks of not appearing at all, I received a voice mail via my cell phone that informed me they were actually letting me go. (Whatever happened to telling someone to their face?)"

The Emotional Toll: "I hide my emotions, but deep down I feel I am dying off"

Your tales of losing long-held jobs--often with minimal advance notice or human consideration--were bracing. But more compelling still were the numerous accounts of how long-term joblessness has affected you personally and psychologically.

• Perhaps no testimony was bleaker than a note we received from Peter K., who said he used to be a middle manager making over $100,000 a year. His life now? "Stay up too late at night and sleep too long in the morning. Drink way too much … stare at the computer screen, stare out the window, stare at your image in the mirror, stare at the ceiling fan … Social life--none. I'm no fun. Sex--none. Women would sooner hear you have Hepatitis then learn you're unemployed … Depressed--big time. Think suicide every day."

• Scott V. told us that when his money began to run out and he didn't know how he was going to feed his children, he had the same thought. "To be extremely honest I thought of taking the easy way out, which probably many people have. I read an internet article a couple of weeks ago about some 22 (?) year old ending her life because she had no job and too many bills that she couldn't handle. Of course I didn't do that, because I consider myself a strong person and I have a lot to live for."

• "Most of the time you can barely get out of bed because you worry so much about your future," wrote Todd L. of Houston, Tex. "I feel so behind, especially when talking to my peers. Several of them have already moved on from their first job to their second one. Many are in long-term relationships, something I know I can never have without a job and financial stability. I feel so ... behind. I have grown much more envious of others lately."

• Stefan K., from South Bend, Ind., told us he'd been out of work for going on two years. "After a few months pass by, you start to take it personally," he wrote. "You start to hear a voice in your head that tells you, 'Perhaps you're just not good enough.' You know it's not true, but it feels true. You then began to feel ashamed when people, who know of your situation, keep asking if you've found a job yet."

• Paul K. described how both he and his fiancée--who is also contending with a long-term bout of joblessness--have seen their relationship suffer as a result of their shared plight. "It's very depressing and has caused many arguments and led to a very unhappy life for us for the last 2-3 years," he wrote. "We now sleep late because we have no money to do anything. Gas costs too much so most days we stay home and just watch TV. It's making me anxious, depressed, and my confidence is all but gone. I pray for a miracle at this point."

• The pain of long-term unemployment doesn't only affect layoff casualties--it's also assailed many first-time entrants into the job market. Jill B. of Jonesboro, Ark. got a master's degree last year, but it didn't help her. "The hardest part of this experience has been having to come home, tail tucked, as a failure," she wrote. "Out of necessity, I am now living with my parents again in a rural, Arkansas town. For financial reasons, I had to leave the thriving job market of Austin, Texas to come back to a place where there are no jobs at all."

• "I hide my emotions, but deep down I feel I am dying off," wrote Jeremy L., from Waupaca, Wisc. "I smile less. Friends don't call me anymore to do things because I can't afford to. I feel like a hermit living under a rock. I feel worthless. I feel like I'm pulling my girlfriend and daughter into a hole with me. Our once loving relationship has turned bitter and sour."

The Financial Strain: "I am scared to death of what lies ahead"

Of course, there's no way to overstate the financial impact of being without a steady income for an extended period. The notes and comments you submitted show the remarkable lengths that some of you have gone just to keep your heads above water.

• A 62-year-old Ohio man, W.M., told us he'd been forced to take contract work in South Carolina and Indiana. "I am the new migrant worker," he wrote. "I get home to see my family when I can. I have about 1/3 less salary and no benefits but I can pay my way."

• Some readers said they were selling their possessions to support themselves. "I have also sold my clothing, many of our belongings, and baby items on Craigslist and in consignment shops," M.N. wrote. "I add oatmeal to many of my dishes to extend the idea of 'beef', as well as buying generics. We've [gotten rid of] all memberships to gyms and cable TV. We are trying to live a more simple life."

• Some have been relying on family or friends. "I am in default for last year's property taxes, and now stand to lose my home of 23 years," wrote Vicki J. of Garland, Tex. "Had it not have been for a friend of mine helping me, I wouldn't have even had electricity or food for the past three months."

• Others are seeking a fresh start. "We can't afford the house payments anymore, but our house lost about 50% of its value, so we can't sell," wrote Shannon B. "We simply cannot live on my husband's salary. We are filing for bankruptcy."

• Judy J. from Catawba, N.C., described paying for groceries with WIC checks--a form of government assistance--and worrying about delaying people behind her in line. "A few times I offered to let someone cut because 'this is going to take a while,'" she wrote. "[B]ut they say, 'No, it's okay. I'm on WIC, too, so I understand.'"

• Karen P. from Maryland told us she had to move back in with her mother at the age of 40, and that her jobless benefits will run out in January. "I am scared to death of what lies ahead," she added. "I have no idea if I will find a job or not."

• And in a harrowing detail that evokes the hardships of an earlier time, M.C. wrote: "My family is eating stir-fried dandelions out of yards to keep from starving."

Trials of the Job Search: "We can't hire any more old people"

Landing a new job in this economy is tough no matter who you are. But when you've already been out of work for so long, it can be even harder.

• We asked whether employers were wary of hiring readers when they found out how long they'd been jobless -- a form of discrimination that appears to have been on the rise lately. "Very much so," replied Susan W. "As if it were my fault I was unemployed, regardless of the fact that I had put out hundreds of resumes and applications."

• Many readers described a daunting level of competition for openings. "In my area, Elkhart County, Ind.., unemployment had gotten so bad that 1200 people applied for 10 openings at one company," wrote Jason G. (Incidentally, if Elkhart rings a bell, that might be because it's where President Obama launched his effort to get the economy moving again almost two and a half years ago.)

• "I applied at one place that literally handed out raffle tickets and the winning 100 tickets were the only ones that got to apply," wrote M.O. "Of course my number wasn't one of them."

• An enormous number of older readers said they think their age is part of the problem for employers. Paula S., from Acworth, Georgia, who said she was "sixty-something," described "two eye-opening experiences of blatant age discrimination . . . . One twenty-something supervisor asked me if I had ever thought about coloring my hair . . . . Another manager told his assistant with the door open when I showed up to complete an application and interview: 'We can't hire any more old people.' "

• Britt S. said he'd tried to transition into another career after getting laid of from his newspaper job. But, "if an employer has a choice between a 27-year-old with a degree and 3 or 4 years of experience and a 57-year-old with the same degree and no experience, who is most likely to get the job?" he asked.

• Even Dan H., a skilled telecommunications technician in Scottsdale, Ariz., who's not exactly long in the tooth, told us he thought his age worked against him. "I do believe that being 37 was a factor in being passed over for jobs," he wrote. "[T]echnology is a young man's game. Potential employers thought I may be rusty with my skills … Trained to an expert level, but no one can afford to hire me."

Tips for Jobseekers: "Any job is a good job"

Many readers who had ultimately landed a job were eager to share what worked for them.

• "Network, network, network. I can't say it enough," wrote E.S., from San Diego, Calif. "LinkedIn is awesome, but enlist your Facebook contacts, or join a networking group. I know it's horrible to ask your friends to keep their eyes out, but in the end that's how I got hired. When you know someone who knows someone, who can vouch for you, you have a much better chance of getting a job with the company you want/in the field you want."

• Kurt G., from Seattle, Wash., thinks the face-to-face meeting is the key. "It doesn't matter what skills you have, and it doesn't matter what skills the employers say they want," he wrote. "What matters is having the skills that get you through the interview process. Focus like a laser on the interview process. If you're successful there, you'll get an offer, and after that, it's up to the employer to retrain you."

• Susan W. suggested making a nuisance of yourself. "I selected three companies I really wanted to work for, applied and kept going back and going back until they either told me to leave me alone or hired me," she told us. "Two told me to leave them alone, the third hired me."

• Chris C. of Modesto, Calif., had a different strategy: moving into a field traditionally dominated by women -- a trend that's said to be increasingly common for male workers on the job market. "I researched the employment situation where I am living and decided to retrain in something it appeared people would want," he wrote. "After I received my nursing license it took me 3 months to find a full-time job."

• And Cindy S. advised job-seekers not to be too picky. "Don't be afraid to downgrade your expectations," she wrote. "Right now, any job is a good job. When the economy recovers, it will be time to stretch out and seek a job for which you are qualified and paid well for, but right now, income is income."

Solutions to the Crisis: "The vast majority of us are on our own."

A lot of readers had thoughts about how to fix the long-term jobless crisis--or at least how to make things easier for its victims.

• Many respondents lamented the problem of having to compete with cheaper foreign labor. "Make it more difficult to offshore work, or to hire foreign workers at a discount," wrote Kurt G., in a typical comment.

• Yvonne P., from Spring Hill, Tenn. suggested that the government give a "small tax incentive to businesses who hire people who have been unemployed for 6 months or more. Call it, 'Americans Back To Work Tax Break.'" Not a bad idea.

• "There aren't enough resources for retraining, especially of college-educated people," wrote E.S. "The vast majority of us are on our own."

• And Todd L. asked for a little more heart from employers. "I want companies and those who represent them to realize that job applicants and the long-term unemployed are not just resumes in a system," he wrote. "We're real people too. Please treat us like one."

The Unexpected Upside: "We have made some memories that are priceless"

As is no doubt clear by now, the picture that most readers painted of long-term unemployment was overwhelmingly bleak. But that doesn't mean there weren't some respondents who had the strength of mind to also take note of the positives.

• Stephanie B. of Memphis, Tenn., told us she works three part-time jobs and is left on a tighter budget than when she was on jobless benefits. And yet, she wrote: "The one thing that has come out of this experience that I am thankful for and hope I won't ever forget, is the closeness we feel as a family. We can sit down to a checker tournament and play for hours. We can pull out the paper and crayons and create artwork we never had time to do before. There's no more running around nonstop all week long. Most days feel like Saturday when school's out. We entertain ourselves and each other on very little, and I think we have made some memories that are priceless."

• Dan H., who rallied to the challenge of unemployment by working with his wife to start a new business, told us: "If you cannot get a job, make one I guess. In the last year, in order, we've moved for a 'better life' across country, had a child (when we conceived all was good), lost job, had car repo'd, borrowed money from family to get wheels, went on public assistance, cried a river over my manly short comings, was inspired by my wife and am now an entrepreneur. Scary how quick life changes."

• Todd L., too, was able to look on the bright side. "I am blessed to have my family," he wrote. "They support me financially and emotionally … I have become more religious. I pray everyday, asking God for a job and a girlfriend. Does it help? Somewhat. It is better than no religion at all. Most of the time it just makes me feel better. God has given me time and comfort. But I am still waiting for a miracle--a job and a girlfriend."

• And Scott V., who's now working after being jobless for more than two years, told others not to give up. "It does suck, but you can make it," he wrote. "I have been humbled by losing my job almost 3 years ago. Having ZERO dollars in my bank account and very little cash in my wallet. Without the support of my family and the love of my life, to help me get by, I would not have made it this far. I do thank God for all his good graces he has bestowed upon me, which I know I don't deserve. So whoever is reading this, DO NOT sit around waiting for something to happen, make it happen."

Galen Bernard contributed to this report.

Unemployed American & My Sisters Son

2011-07-14T13:12:00.001-04:00

I see all these stories about unemployed Americans and are having a hard time to find jobs. Here is my take on why you are unemployed and what the market is look for as far as IT.

The job market wants people with real skills. The job market currently does not want fresh graduates, it does not want administrators, it does not want middle level managers. Want it does want is people that have a large set of skills. So go and learn JAVA, go and learn .NET, go and learn Rational Requisite Pro, go and learn SharePoint, these are specific skills that the market place wants. Never heard of them? That is where the real problem is, people that know JAVA or any of the other skills I have mentioned are currently making $100,000.

Below is a real example.

My sisters son graduated from Northwestern University, is an American Citizen, and tired to find a job for one year and was unsuccessful. I kept telling him to come and learn with us and I would place him. With just his degree in hand he interviewed at a few large corporations and was not hired.

So after one year he finally came to me and we taught him Business Analyst skills and he will be working in the next 30 days, I guarantee it. He has been having interviews almost every week with fortune 500 companies, and my guess is that he will be working within 7-14 days.

But the person that came to me was a kid that had no idea how businesses worked and what fortune 500 companies were looking for. Now after 8 weeks, I have companies fighting to schedule an interview with him and giving us verbal commitments that they want him. I keep getting comments like, do you have any people like him, (The companies want to say American), we really liked him.

I guarantee you that companies want to hire American, but Americans simply do not have the right skill set to get hired. All you unemployed really need to find consulting companies like mine that are willing to train you and place you into a job. We know what you need as far as skill set. You can go to college for 4 years and not learn as much as we can teach you in 60 days. We teach 8 hours a day for 2 months and you will be ready for a job.

So all you unemployed Americans, find companies just like VXL and go and learn what it takes to get a job. Get trained, and get placed.

VXL is here to change lives. I can only help you if you come to me. I do not have time to lead you here by hand.

By the way I asked my sisters son why he waited for so long before he came to me, and his answer was pretty simply, "What you do does not seem possible and I have been trained to not believe something if it seems to good to be true. But I wish that I had listened to you and come here long back."

In 60 days I have infused him with invaluable skills that companies want. He himself is more confident and his entire outlook on life has changed. I got a young man and turned him into a responsible member of society. He worked extremely hard and made him study 8 hours a day, I am sure that it was the hardest he has every worked in his entire life, we are very proud of the work he has done.

This is what I do. I shouldn't say I, this is what the VXL team does. It takes a large group of people and a lot money to help him succeed. We would have likely spent about $5,000 on getting him ready, but it has been money well spent. By the way do not think that we are a charity and do this for free, we will make money on my sister's son, probably a lot of money, but this is the consequence of my team loving what we do and working hard at it.

Videos of All Our Classes

2011-07-14T12:39:00.000-04:00

I keep videos available of all of our classes that we teach on our online learning portal. This has taken great efforts our our side. I never promise access to these videos in any class that we advertise, but why do I provide these?

Why?

I provide everything I do, because no matter what subject, when you get beyond 50% of the class the topics become very complicated and every student will want to listen to these topics again and again. I provide these videos so our student can listen to all the complicated topics over and over to get perfect in them. I provide these topics so that when they are doing labs, then can use these videos as a reference. I provide these videos, because the simply work. We have seen our placements rate increase tremendously just by having the videos.

You will see more innovation coming to VXL over the next few years. The more money I make the more technology and innovation I will keep bringing into the education field.

I was at a friends consulting company and they have started training recently, and he had one computer for every 2-3 students. He said that this is how training is done in India and there was no need to provide every student a computer. I just laughed and laughed. He had a non-working projector that he wanted to me take a look at to see if I could fix it. I laughed some more, told him to throw it in the garbage and get a new one and left. I just shake my head each time I see nonsense like this. I provide laptops to my students that need them, I have the latest technology as far as Electronic White Boards and Polycom Speaker Phone. My online video portal will be on par with some of the finest colleges one I am done tweaking it and perfecting it.

I constantly look to improve and become better, and our online videos system is just one small piece of this process.

Embedded Systems Placements

2011-07-13T12:40:00.002-04:00

I rarely encourage our Electrical Engineering Graduates to take the Embedded Systems class, but lately the placements have been awesome. All my kids that we have marketed in Embedded Systems have been placed.

So if you are an Masters Graduate in Electrical Engineering, then now is the time to get back into your field.

As of July 13, 2011, I, Vijay Madala, am encouraging all recent Electrical Engineering graduates to take our Embedded Systems class. The placements have been awesome and I now feel very confident that I can place you, once the class is over.

Earlier Story - More Details

2011-07-12T16:37:00.000-04:00

I have had a lot of emails asking for more details on what to look for in a training and placement consulting company. Below is what I said was important and let me explain each one, point by point:

What Masters Students Should Look For in a Consulting Company:

1) Companies that have been Training and Placing Students with a track record of at least 5 years.

2) Management actually shows up on the weekends when the classes are conducted.

3) If you live nearby, do a site visit and talk to existing students in training

4) Make sure that they have direct deposit of salaries.

5) Make sure they have plans for measured growth. They should have plans to grow in a technology vertical and/or have plans for bidding on projects. But they should want to become more than just a desi-consulting company.

6) Make sure that management attends conferences and stays up to date on the latest technology

7) Make sure that they use licensed software if it available.

1) Companies that have been Training and Placing Students with a track record of at least 5 years.

This is very important recently. In the current market place, bringing experienced consultants over from India, has become impossible, so almost every single consulting company know has entered into the training and placement model. A lot of the older consulting companies have gotten fat and lazy, and I will explain what I mean by this.

For over ten years, every single consulting company simply brought our experienced consultants from India and then placed them for an average profit of about $15 per hour the first year and about $8 per hour the second year. Let us take a friends company as an example, they have 1 accountant, 2 marketing staff, 1 human resources personal and with this bare bone staff they were able to file for 200-300 H1B's and typically have around 200 active consultants on their payroll. So for a staff payroll and company expense of around $25,000 a month they were generating a Gross profit per year of around $4,000,000 with 200 consultants. These companies are experts at paperwork and were able to do very little work for huge profits. There is nothing wrong with that, that was the system in place and they utilized the system in place to maximize the profits.

These companies are used to big profits, very little expenses and very little work.

There is no way you can take the same staff and suddenly turn them into a training and placement company. Training and placement requires working Monday - Sunday, there are no days off in this business. It requires big investment in software and hardware. It requires a great deal of patience and guidance. It basically requires inventing big money into an asset (the student) and waiting almost 8 months before you can break even.

So in my final analysis you cannot turn a paperwork factory into a training and placement consulting company. The two are so different and require a completely different skill set. So when I say look for companies that have been specializing in IT training for at least 5 years. They are the companies that will be able to really train and place you.

2) Management actually shows up on the weekends when the classes are conducted.

This goes back to the same principal of fat and lazy. When you have been able to make big money working for 3-4 hours a day for years and not really be involved with students and in training, there is no way there will be a sudden change in managements attitude. You really want to work with a company where the actual owners show up on the weekends when the training happens to make the quality control is there. Only when the actual owners of a company show up will they be able to maintain a high quality training enter. Training does not mean just finding a teacher and teaching a class. It means constant evaluations, constant tweaking of the curriculum to keep up with the latest trends, it means making sure that the students have an instant access to management to get their issues resolved, it means getting access to a teacher for a quick resolution to issues. Yes, yes, ask the company, can I meet you on a Saturday ir Sunday at the office, this will be the best question to see how dedicated they are to the student and the quality of the training. Any company in which the owners do not pick up the phone in the evenings, Saturday and Sundays, avoid them. They will hire a money that pay about $1500 a month to watch over everything. When you pay monkey salaries, the guy that is watching over everything is likely to act like a money, scream once in a while and really be pretty much worthless. This is not the company you want to put your faith in. (By the way I am in the office about 95% of the time, including Saturday and Sundays)

3) If you live nearby, do a site visit and talk to existing students in training

This is one of the best ways to really judge a company. Come by unannounced and talk to some current students in training. They will be the best judge of the company. Ask all the tough questions you need to and make sure to ask all these questions without the presence of the management. What you are looking for is truthful answers from the current students.

4) Make sure that they have direct deposit of salaries.

This is an instant judge of how credit worthy the company is. Most consulting companies are always desperate for cash. The owners have either invested all the money into other ventures in India or are simply too new and do not have the cash flow to grow the company. This is an instant assessment into the financial health of the company. I have a friends company that is always tight for money and they try their best to borrow money from everyone to pay their payroll, but a lot of times, they fall short, so what they do is run the payroll, but do not mail out the checks, till more money is collected. As an employee you would have waited for a few days and when you do not receive the check, you will call, they will tell you stories like it must have been lost in the mail and they will get it printed out and mailed again, this will buy them a few days to be able to pay you. This is the most common way of adjusting the cash flow. So, if the company does not have direct deposit, avoid them, otherwise you too will be waiting for your check and likely to hear these type of stories.

5) Make sure they have plans for measured growth. They should have plans to grow in a technology vertical and/or have plans for bidding on projects. But they should want to become more than just a desi-consulting company.

This, to me, is very important. I was mentioning this to a friend of mine with a company with about 80 consultants and he laughed at me and said if he could suck the blood of the consultants for another 5 years he would be happy. He was planning to move back to India. I think this is the attitude of about 90% of the consulting companies. I get laughed at a lot, because I am hiring a business development manager, I am planning on hiring a senior marketing staff member, so yes I spend big money to try and move beyond just a desi-consulting company. I think this is the natural growth process int he business. You make money and use that for measured growth to get to the next level of consulting and bidding for projects. Ask the company what their growth plans are? DO they have a 5 year plan for bidding on projects. By the way we got our first few projects. We have are working on a patented technology in which we are building the software for the technology to work. We also got a commitment for a midsize company to take over their entire IT department. They will outsource the entire department to us and we will assign our consultants to keep it running smoothly and within budget.

6) Make sure that management attends conferences and stays up to date on the latest technology

I know about 20 consulting company owners and I do not know of a single on that ever attend IT conferences. Without attending these conferences you will never be able to keep up with the latest trends in the market place. This year I have gone to PegaWorld 2011, Gartner BPM Conference and the IBM Lombardi Teamworks conference, and I really wanted to go to SAP Sapphire, but I was busy that weekend . You really do not want to be learning old technology. When you attend these conference, you get a great judge of what is trending in the market place. You want to work for a company that takes the initiative to keep up with the latest trends.

7) Make sure that they use licensed software if it available.

When SAP approached me about buying an SAP license, I did not hesitate and spent about $70,000 to buy the license. Most desi companies I see, do not want to spend even 1 penny on software and want to do everything illegally. If a company was ever to approach me and said Vijay you are using our software for training and we want you to buy a license, I would buy it instantly. I am not sure why, but I just feel like it is right thing to do. So yes, ALL our Microsoft software is licensed, yes all our SAP software is licensed , and yes all our Lombardi Teamworks training and software is licensed properly.

Prasad's Story

2011-07-12T15:41:00.000-04:00

There was a student that wrote me an email and I found it interesting. I have changed the name to protect the student. Below is the letter. (I have corrected the spelling and punctuations)

Hello Vijay,

This is Prasad. I graduated in MIS from ***** and in OPT now. I trusted a training company and came to Delaware for SAP FICO training, that supposed to be started from July 9th, but now they are forcing me to start a training in SAP BW and still not sure when they are going start that. I had same experience with other training institute also, they took two online classes and cancelled the training. I already spend my time and money for all these things but did not having positive outcome. Now, I see that your company seems to be pretty impressive, and want to start my training as soon as possible. Can you please let me know more details to enroll in the SAP FICO training (if any deposit is required), about food and accommodation, job placement etc. I always appreciate you quick response.

Thanks

Prasad

This is a typical experience that I have seen with a lot of students that end up coming to VXL. Every consulting company is jumping into the training and placement model since it had become impossible to bring consultants over from India. The cost to train candidates is very high. I spend almost $30,000 a month on the training side. Most consulting companies will have a very hard time to spend this type of money on training, because they are used to minimizing costs and keeping profits high. A real high quality IT training center costs a lot of money to keep running. A lot of times when our consultants are waiting for interviews I keep them in classes so that they can keep learning. All of these efforts costs money.

So I can understand when the SAP FICO class gets cancelled for recent entrants into training. For a group of 5 students, a SAP FICO class that runs about 90 hours will typically costs about $10,000 to run during that two month period, which would include housing for the students. If you run 2 or 3 sessions without any placements, then every single consulting company owner will start balking at the costs involved without the corresponding income. On a typical student that comes to our institute we have a 7 month time frame from the time they start a job till be become cash flow positive for us on a Gross Basis. If we include all the expenses and other costs, it will likely be about 8 months.

So Prasad, as far as a deposit for our students, that we take into training for FREE, there is no Deposit. Accommodations and training is FREE. Our classes run about 90% of the time on the date we advertise or 99% of the time within 2 weeks of the proposed start date.

Good luck to you Prasad and hope to see you here in Detroit soon.

My Competition and an Experience from a Student

2011-06-16T00:55:00.000-04:00

I had a partner that I have been dealing with for years. When the consulting model was bringing people from India and placing them, they did very well and in fact have about 210 consultants still working for them.

But recently they have entered into the training and placement model that VXL Training specializes in. I know what I do looks easy, but it is not. I work weekends, I pick up the phone no matter what the time is (as long as I am awake), I constantly monitor my teachers and use only the very best in the technologies that I teach in. I do so much work, because I know that my students come to me with the knowledge that 90% of my students get jobs, and keeping that ratio high means success not just for me but for whole families that depend on my students. What I do changes people lives. I take that responsibility very seriously.

Anyway this partner (now former partner) started a MicroStrategy class and they wanted me to give them a few students, so I gave them 2 students into this class. When I recruit students and put them into a training, weather it is mine or not, my students expect results. The students finished the class, of course my partners did not monitor the class, did not take feedback from the class, all they did was just start the class and left everything up to the teacher.

After the class was over and the students had been practicing and felt they were ready for the interview the teacher basically disappeared. He would not pick up the phone, he would not answer emails, if you called from a different phone number he would pick up the phone then say he was busy and hang up.

In the final analysis both of the students that I recruited for that class did not get a job and as soon as the class was over the teacher disappeared. I trusted my partners to deliver the same level of quality of training and support that I do, but they did not. They failed my students, me and VXL's reputation.

I looked at their ad for FREE training in MIindia.com and other places and I see that they are offering $300-$400 per month stipend. My question is, does that $300-$400 a month matter, when they do not take your career or the training seriously, when they do not monitor the training. They expect to recruit a large number of students place 1-2 out of a batch of 10 and declare themselves a financial success, because all they care about is financial success and not your success.

Trust me, that is not a group that you want to deal with.

(I wrote this about 1 month back. 1 of the 2 students is currently in my BA batch and is doing excellent and will be placed student. I know there is a lot of repetition from the story I wrote earlier, but I felt it was important. I was so mad when they failed my 2 students that I wrote this story right after it happened, but I did not say anything since the other company was owned by friends of mine.)

SAP FICO Class

2011-06-16T00:47:00.000-04:00

I actually had a student come in and thank me for our great SAP FICO teacher. She is learning so much and is very confident after just 4 weeks with us. I agree that our SAP FICO teacher is someone that is very special. He cares about you, he provides every spare moment he has for his students, I always felt that I should work hard as an example to my students and teachers, but the amount of work he does is simply awe-inspiring.

Thank you so much for the great SAP FICO class that just finished.

I was writing this entry and I get a call from a few of my masters students that our teacher had shown up at the guest house to teach them. He was free for a few hours and he wanted to use that time to teach our students that he felt needed a little help. I am not even sure what to say, Thank You is so easily used. But really, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your efforts and the dedication you have shown to our students.

Training - The New Breed of Companies

2011-06-15T19:59:00.002-04:00

For a long time there were very few people that did consultant level IT training. It was not very lucrative and it was much easier to make money by bringing qualified consultants from India. In the past about 99% of the consulting companies survived on bringing qualified candidates over from India and by being very good with paperwork and knowing how to get H1B approvals. That avenue has been closed for almost 2 years now for smaller consulting companies (below 500 employees). Since these type of companies have no other avenues of growth they have now decided that they are now going to train and place masters students.

The problem I have with all these small consulting companies that now offer training if that they really do not care about the welfare of the student. They have been making money over the last 10 years so they have the wherewithal to hire recruiting staff, trainers and rent larger office space to accommodate training rooms, but that does not mean that they can be successful in training and placement of students. The office will look great, there will be lots of students milling around because they would have joined without knowing any better. But the Latin phrase applies so apropos here, Caveat emptor. Yes Buyer Beware. You are putting you career, your valuable productive youthful years in the hands of nothing more than charlatans.

I have met the owners of lots of these consulting companies and about the only thing they care about is making money and sending it back to India to buy more land, that is it. Since they have been in the consulting business for a long time and they have lots of money to able to market and try the training and placement business. They will get lots of students sucked into training and about 10-20% of the students get placed. These are the students that would have gotten placed anyway simply because they are smart.

An Example:

There was a student that went to one of these companies for training in Microstrategy and yes they did offer free training, free accommodations and were offering a stipend of $400 a month. But after 2 months of training, which happened on and off, the teacher simply vanished, after he got his money. He would not pick up his phone, and if she called from another phone would pick up recognize the voice and say he was busy or simply hang up. The company did provide exactly what they said they would, but there was no follow up with the student to make sure that she was taught and supported properly. There was no teacher evaluation, there was no process flow that was outlined and followed. Anyone can make mistakes, but as long as there is an identification of the problems with a proactive approach to fixing an issue, their training will never improve. It is one thing to teach someone with a blind eye and something completely different to teach, mentor, market, place and support them on the job. Training and Placement is a constant evolutionary process, you must be fully embedded in the process to identify what works and what doesn't.

Now this student is with us and is training in our BA class and she is doing extremely well and I am sure that she will be placed within 1 month, max. She is an American Citizen and is very bright and I happy that she is with us so that we can help her.

I think I got off on a tangent. VXL Training has been specializing in training only for a long time and now that the market place is offering us opportunities, we have expanded into consulting. We offer real training, with teachers that have been with us for years, and all our consultants excel on the job once we place them.

My final advice to all you kids that are looking for training is to look for companies that have been doing training for a long time and not have added this element recently.

What Masters Students Should Look For in a Consulting Company:

1) Companies that have been Training and Placing Students with a track record of at least 5 years.

2) Management actually shows up on the weekends when the classes are conducted.

3) If you live nearby, do a site visit and talk to existing students in training

4) Make sure that they have direct deposit of salaries.

6) Make sure that management attends conferences and stays up to date on the latest technology

7) Make sure that they use licensed software if it available.

I will explain tomorrow why each of these points is very important.

Expenses for Training and Placement

2011-05-19T13:23:00.001-04:00

I know what I do seems very easy but I just wanted to give you guys a breakdown on what my actual expenses are so you know that it is not easy to do what I do, especially as a new start up.

Rent	$3,300.00
Salaries	$7,500.00
India Office	$4,000.00
Advertising	$1,500.00
Internet	$200.00
Staff Phones	$500.00
Guest House	$4,500.00
Vijays Salary	$5,000.00*
Gotomeeting	$300.00
Misc Exp	$500.00
Training Exp	$2,000.00

Total	$29,300.00

*Vijay's salary will start from June 1st, 2011. Before this date he has not taken one dollar.

Yes we do spend $29,300 per month for our training and placement division. This is what it costs me each and every month. This does not include SAP Server access which costs another $3100 per month, but that expense falls into the SAP Access division so I will not include it here, even though it should be included since it is really an expense.

I believe in team building and all of us acting on behalf of a greater good. When I work as hard as I do and spend as much money as I do, I expect all of my consultants not to act selfishly but work together with us in this team building. I will continue to keep spending major money to improve the training and placement division 'til it reaches it's full potential.

To each of you that complains that I charge a lot for training, your training is actually subsidized by all our placements. There is no way that we are charging you what it should really be costing you.

In the final analysis do I make a lot of money? Not really for all the work I do, but I will continue to do it, because I know that no one will work as hard as I do for the students that join us. And this is a big AND, I LOVE what I do. Yes, I love seeing my kids come into training with just potential and I can take that block of marble and make it into a David. I am obviously no Micheal Angelo, but really, I love what I do and that is how I feel when I can take a student and train and place them.

If you can say that about a job, then you have found a calling and should continue to work hard to excel in it.

Last Business Analyst (BA) batch all placed

2011-05-19T11:48:00.000-04:00

My last student from our last BA batch just got placed today. This is 2 batches in row of all our BA's students getting placed. Congrats to all the students and teacher for the hard work.

Our current BA batch has 10 kids in the class and we still have another 2 weeks of classes. You guys have a lot to live up to? 2 perfect batches of BA students. Keep working hard and let us make it 3 perfect batches in a row.

Incident at the guest house

2011-05-19T11:45:00.006-04:00

We have students that stay with us at the guest house and we had an incident that happened that I think everybody can learn from.

A recent student had come to the guest house and did not have cash, but had a check for $1000 from some relative of his. Let's call him " the douchebag."

One of the other kids had been working and had money, and was generally a nice guy, said "OK, I will lend you $50 and you can pay me back after you get money again." We'll call him "the money lender" The agreement was done and the douchebag took the $50.

After a week the money lender asked for his $50 back and the douchebag blew him off, saying yeah yeah you will get your money.

Second week comes and still no money had been returned, so money lender asked again. The douchebag gets angry and takes some money out of his pocket and throws it at the money lender, saying "Here is some money, I will pay you the rest as soon as I cash the check," and shows his check again. The money lender picks up the money that was thrown and it happens to be $26. So there are a few more words exchanged and a small fight takes place. The douchebag locks himself in the bathroom and calls the police.

Here we get a divergence in the story. The money lender says that there was no real physical damage done, but that the douchebag emerged out of the bathroom with physical bruises and had blood on his face and he went to the police and said that he was attacked. The police ended up arresting the money lender.

The money lender is taken to jail. His boss goes to bail him out, but is told that until he faces the judge the next morning, there is no way to get him out of jail. The next day goes in front of the judge who sets his bail at $500 and finally the money lender is out of jail.

The court case on this was May 17, 2011 and here is the final outcome. The money lender was fined $750 plus 35 hours of community service and 9 months of probation. The lawyer cost was $5000.

So the money lender, who was trying to be a nice guy, ended up losing $5750 plus all the community service hours and the 9 months of probation.

So there are lots of questions that arise from this situation:

1) Would you lend a roommate in the guest house money?
2) If you did and were not paid back, would you confront that roomate?
3) If you knew you could get convicted of assault and it could be determined to be a felony, which would guarantee that you will not get an H1B, how would this determine your actions? Would they change? Stay the same?

This is a real life story that happened recently. What would you do when confronted with this situation?

IT Market is Red Hot

2011-05-05T19:27:00.000-04:00

If any of you were thinking about joining for IT training, this is the time. The market is red hot, and I mean red hot.

If you need a job and are decently smart, that is enough, we can train and place you very easily.

We offer almost 20 separate technologies, I am sure that there is one that will be right for you.

Even the SAP market is red hot. If you want to make a career switch, now is the time. You never know when the market will turn again, but right now would be great time to come for IT training. It does not even matter which training you come for, almost everybody is getting placed in less than 30 days.

Our SAP Training and the Price

2011-05-02T11:52:00.001-04:00

I get a lot of calls about why our prices are so high for our SAP training. That is a good question, so why do we charge $2500 instead of the usual market price of $1500 for our SAP classes?

Every business has a price point and a reason for that price point. We never compromise on quality and will do whatever it takes for our consultants to be trained to the highest standards. We refuse to compete on price and will likely always be the highest priced training company in the market place that we compete in.

For instance in our SAP FICO training we offer, 2 Months of SAP classes for a total of 64 Hours Minimum. We usually go about 80 hours for our classes though. We had a student in our current class that had gone to another company in Michigan for SAP FICO training and here is a summary of what she told me about their training. She told me that they promised the moon, but in the end the teacher was a managerial level FICO consultant and that she only gave an overview of SAP FICO without any real substance. Any questions my current student asked at the other company would always get the same reply: that work is done by the developers.

This is what we offer for $2500 in our SAP FICO training:

Minimum of 64 hours of SAP FICO Class Hours - Usually we go about 80 hours
In depth Q & A sessions via gotomeeting during the weekday evenings
SAP Premium (If you are selected) - 30 days of daily solving live SAP issues that our consultants have faced.
30-60 Days of Live Project Participation - This is an additional $299 per month

(SAP Premium will be an additional 60 hours of problem solving - But is only available for students that will sign a contract to work for us for 1 year)

This what our competition offers for $1500 in their SAP FICO class:

"Promised hours" of 48 hours - Usually they tend to do 20-26 hours
No Q & A Sessions outside of class hours
No SAP Premium
No Live Project Participation

Most Indians (my customer base) tend to be very price sensitive, but I will let others compete on price and I will stick with the way I feel that the SAP training has to be done. If this requires me to charge a higher price, then so be it.

I look at each and every student as an extension of a family. If I can help that student succeed, I feel like I am helping a family member succeed.

I will keep my price point where it is, because I do not want a lot of students anyway. I prefer to work with just 4-5 students per class. This will allow us to give more attention to each of our students.

My suggestion is that you show up on a class day and talk to any of my current students and ask them about their experience so far and they will give you the best feedback if they are getting their value for their money. I believe that they will all give you a resounding YES.

Jay - A New Student

2011-04-10T11:21:00.001-04:00

A few days back a white American walked into the office. He was a former Army veteran and I had hired him to do some graphics work and I had found him on Craigslist. He had some obvious skills, but nothing that was focused and enough to get a career.

I live for moments like this, where I can see the potential and know that I can turn his life around and get him back on track to a great career.

He did not have money to pay for the training, but I have taken him into the training, because he obviously needed help, I knew I could help and it would be a crime on my part not to help him.

All right Jay, work hard for 3 months and your life should be on track again.

More Unemployed Americans

2011-04-01T09:01:00.002-04:00

Recently I had gotten 2 Chinese Americans who were unemployed. One had no skills at all and the other had solid skills, but very little confidence.

A lot of times I feel like in addition to our technical training we need to spend a lot of time instilling confidence in our employees. Now that they have in-demand skills and have been working for a few months, they are very confident.

You guys wonder why I am talking about this. I talk about this because I am one of the only companies, that I know about, that takes Americans and trains them and places them. I actively recruit Americans. The more hopeless they feel and the more desperate they are, the more I enjoy the challenge of training them and placing them in a project. Each one of my successes leads to another person off the unemployment line and into a career.

In my current SD class I have 2 more American citizens that I have taken the challenge of training and placing. If they work hard for 3 months we will be successful together.

I talk about this, because I am very proud of our achievements. I am American and I am happy that I can help my fellow Americans.

Unemployed Americans

2011-03-31T22:37:00.001-04:00

Recently we got a 55 year old American that had been unemployed for years. We were able to train her and place her in a project. She was a great student and learned very quickly and we were able to place her within a very short time.

The real problem with her was her lack of confidence more than anything else.

I wish I could get more unemployed Americans to come to our training. I tried advertising in The Clipper Magazine, but that was a big waste of money.

India Office Pictures

2011-03-29T16:59:00.001-04:00

Here are pictures from our new India Office: It is setup for up to 50 employees. Our goal is to have 2000 employees in 2 years. Not sure how attainable that is, but that is our goal. We plan on BPO work for insurance company verticals. Just thinking about all the work we have ahead of us makes me very excited and scared at the same time.

More Info From Our SAP Guru

2011-03-22T12:50:00.001-04:00

Here is some work that the SAP GURU has been doing to get ready for the April 16th class. He will be teaching some subjects in addition to your regular FICO teacher.

Here is the note of what he has been doing for you:

I have done complete baseline config of all core processes for GL (including basic processes of New GL), Controlling (CCA – With Manual Planning and Real Time Integration of FI-CO), AP (including Logistics Invoice Verification), AR (including Lockbox) and Fixed Assets (Including Using Internal Orders for Investments) in E30. Can you please back this up at this stage and let me know?

I plan to focus on Financial Supply Chain Management areas of Dispute, Credit and Collections and Controlling -- Profitability Analysis next as time permits in this environment. Please do not grant access to this environment till I complete the entire setup and we backup the contents. I do have access to E17 (IDES) also….but I have not configured anything in this at all. I used it primarily to compare certain values for reference purposes. I would appreciate if this too can be excluded from access to other for a couple of weeks.

Looks like the next batch of SAP FICO students are going to have a tremendous learning experience. The SAP GURU comes by almost everyday and we chat about how to improve our processes and make the leaning experience better for every batch of students.

Another Student Review

2011-03-17T08:57:00.001-04:00

The letter below is from a student and this is why I work as hard as I do. I do not want my kids to go through other consultancies because I know what they are all about.

Being an international student it is not easy to find a job in US, especially when the economy is not doing good and the companies are against hiring international students. I graduated in December’2010 and to tell you guys the truth, I had already made up my mind to go back to India if I didn’t find a job by end of March. I had been applying for full time jobs since august’2010, but here I was in December and graduated with an MBA and still frustrated with this whole job search. It was at that time when one of my classmates told me about VXL. I have friends who have gone through consultancies before and I haven’t heard good stories about their experiences. But, I must say, coming to VXL was the best decision which I could have made after my graduation.

You guys will hear stories about different consultancies on various blogs, but I can assure you what Mr. Vijay is running, is a totally different “experience”. You will notice that I have used the word “experience” and the reason I say this is because with the kind of infrastructure (computer labs, instructors, housing, and transportation) and the personal attention which this place gives, it would be a grave injustice to call VXL a consultancy, because it is not a typical desi consultancy. With the kind of personal interest he takes in his students and his desire to see us succeed, I thank him for all his help in launching my career. I am not the smartest person in the world, but I can tell when a person is “genuine” and when a person is just trying to lure students in. And I must say, Mr. Vijay is a kind of person who will tell you the “truth” the way it is, on your face, and that is what I liked about him the most, his sincerity towards his students.

Once again, thank you Sir for all your help!!!

Message From Our SAP GURU for SAP FICO Students

2011-03-16T22:56:00.000-04:00

Our new SAP GURU has sent a message to our current SAP FICO students and to future prospective SAP FICO students:

In my experience, understand accounting and bookkeeping is mandatory to be a functional consultant in FI/CO. One does not need to be a CPA or even need a formal finance degree but a sound understanding of how accounting and double entry bookkeeping works is critical.

Attached are some of the web links that anyone not from a sound finance background should review prior to any FI/CO class.

http://www.smallbizu.org/a101/

http://www.a-systems.net/accounting.htm

http://www.youtube.com/user/AccountingTutor#g/u

Of course, there are many other resources on the web that anyone can search…bottom line is that these concepts have to be understood well to have a sound foundation.

New SAP GURU added to our team

2011-03-13T03:11:00.005-04:00

I have added a 16 year SAP Guru to our team. He currently runs an entire SAP implementation, and on his recent project, which is currently 2.5 years old, he was the one that convinced the company to switch to SAP and is responsible for the entire project's success or failure. He is an incredible human being, and wildly devoted to teaching and wants to help our students succeed. There are very few people that would do this. Here is someone who is in such a position of power, but he is still willing to join our team. Thank you God, for bringing him to us. (He was the one that hired the entire team of SAP consultants on his current project)

He will now be monitoring all of our SAP training including SAP Premium to make sure that the training meets our students' needs for success.

He understands the entire SAP landscape and he will be the one that will give the finishing touches to our SAP students to get them to think like a consultant.

Here are a few quotes from his recent conversations and emails to me:

Quote 1:

I feel that sound understanding of all concepts of SAP (in each subject) as well as being able to execute most processes like a business user (particularly for students not having adequate industry experience) will make a big difference to their understanding and effectiveness on the job. This is similar to training that we give to business super-users.

Quote 2:

Focus on the rationale/logic/common practices in setting up configuration settings in a particular way. There is no course which will guide them on this aspect at all,, but we will do it.

Quote 3: (I told him that I would pay him very well, and he gave me the below)

Thanks for your time. God has been very kind and I am very well off financially. I am looking from a long term and really from a more holistic perspective than revenue from training. Hence, I am completely open to any arrangement (even teaching for free). In my 21 years of IT experience, I have spent 16+ years in consulting on turnkey engagements for midsize ($500M+) to global organizations with more than $ 40B+. I really feel that there are greater opportunities in placements/consulting and being able to do project work on a turnkey/project basis.

Reviews on VXL Training

2011-03-13T01:48:00.001-05:00

I was looking for reviews on VXL Training online and I found a couple. I was dismayed to find two older ones that gave us just average reviews.

Then again you have to preface it with the knowledge that we have trained over 10,000 students during our years in existence. Almost 95% of that was paid training. When someone pays for training, and even if you get a result of 90% success in your students getting jobs, the 10% that do not succeed will be the ones that complain voraciously.

I have worked so hard to get and keep the best teachers. I have had the same teachers for years now. I pay the highest salaries, give them the best equipment, so that all they ever have to worry about is teaching.

I know that having only 2 average reviews and no bad reviews is probably considered a success, but somehow it still hurt me to see it. It hurt me, because I have so much pride in what I do. I work so hard and spend so much money to make sure my kids have the very best in teachers, resources and facilities.

If my kids requested something from me that will make their training better or to get a better result, I would do it or buy it without hesitation. So if you guys see something wrong, please come to me and I promise to get it fixed right away.

Elitest Training - No Thanks

2011-03-09T08:35:00.002-05:00

I was talking to one of our fellow competitors and he was saying that he lets lots of students into his SAP training but out of his last group of 8 students he decided to only choose 3 students to work with on a personal basis. Out of those 3, two got placed and 1 is almost placed. Obviously his choice and method worked. But my question is, is this correct?

Yes, is this correct?

I reflect and think and feel there is something so incoherently wrong in this method.

I come up with lots of questions in his method.

In his class of 8 students a few did not have the perfect communications but were extremely hard working. A few did not have the right look. A few were a little less than perfect. He ended up choosing the 3 very best in that class for additional training.

I will tell you why that is wrong. I currently have 4 students in my BA class that are trained and will surely get placed. But out of that group, 2 will get placed no matter who trained them or what they learned. They are simply that good and work that hard on their own. I cannot then say I have some special training. Pick 2 of them and work with them additionally and then say my training is why they got placed. They would have gotten placed no matter what.

I am also not saying that the additional training was not helpful. What I am saying is, what happened to the other 5 people you rejected. Do you think about them? Do you worry about them?

Well I worry and think about them. I believe that a weak student should get more help. If you are too busy, you hire someone to put in the work that is necessary to get them ready for marketing. You do not simply let them go. That is the path of the coward. I will not do that.

Every person you let go of is an opportunity to help someone that really needed your talent and help that you gave up on.

The training and placement I do for students, I do not do this for the money. If I had a lot of money I would do what I do for free. I do this because of the immense satisfaction I get from helping a student begin his career and his life. My students know that money is not what is important to me, but once I get a student into my training, they are what is important to me. I will spend whatever it takes and work 'til I collapse to get them ready for a career.

I guess we just have different methodologies and different mind sets, that's all.

Questions from an American Indian Student

2011-03-07T12:20:00.002-05:00

Looking at the title, you must be wondering what I am talking about. Virtually all the Indian kids from India know about companies like ours. But the Indian kids that grew up in USA simply have no idea how to crack the job market or do not believe that companies like us can do what we claim.

We basically teach you one years worth of material in one month. If you are in training with us for 3 months, you have basically been to college for 3 years, that is how intense our training is and how hard we make you work.

I am extremely patient with the American students, because I really want them to join and because I was one of them.

Here are his questions and my Answers:

1) I noticed online that the training courses are on weekends only. If you arrange for living accommodations, what does one do during the week?

Yes all our classes are on the weekend only (There are a few exceptions). The accommodations are free. During the week, you are given lots of reading and assignments and you are expected to work at least 40 hours a week to complete that work before the start of the next class.

2) If I was to arrange for my own living accommodations, would it reduce the cost of the program?

No. The reason is that we already have the guest houses and this is a fixed cost and there is no reduction to our cost even if you do not stay there. On a side note we keep 6 people in a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom and they are nice, but not extremely comfortable. We want you to use your time at our office studying or interacting with the marketing department.

3) Since I have a MM training and need a refresh in the course, would I be allowed to take a different module in the same package or is there additional charges for other modules?

You can take whatever training you want, but you need to stick to one module, get a job and then you can take other modules to increase your skill set.

4) What is the primary module that has the most demand in SAP?

Once in a while there is a new module that is hot, but currently all modules are the equally in demand, there is no one module that is better than another.

5) Can you further elaborate on the contract that you require to be signed?

You can find the contract at our website. You will need to sign a 90 day marketing agreement in which you will agree that only we can market your resume. If I am unable to find you something in 90 days then you look elsewhere for marketing or you can market yourself.

After the first set of questions, here were a few more I got:

1) When will the training course begin? Need to know as I am arranging my move from Houston, TX.

Please check our website, the dates are pretty accurate, but sometimes I need a critical mass to start a class, and a class maybe delayed by 1 to 2 weeks so that we can get enough students.

2) Online, it shows you have about 4-5 modules to start the same day. Does this mean that each module has a separate instructor?

(I was surprised by this question.) But yes of course we have separate teachers for each course. Each teacher we have is currently working in their area of expertise and teaches on the weekend.

3) Do you guys provide any car service if One needs to go anywhere?

We have a company car and a person that will help you. We are under no obligation to do anything, but he will try his best to accommodate your needs with pickups and drop offs.

Talking to A Student - Very Interesting

2011-02-24T12:45:00.001-05:00

I was talking to a student in our SAP class and he was talking to me about student mentality and what he was feeling about our program.

We trained him from November. He was in SAP class for 1 1/2 months and then he was in SAP Premium for another 30 days. His resume was ready 1 week later and then we started marketing him.

He was telling me how Indian kids from India think, and how they react to news (I was talking to him about recruiting more students for our next SAP classes). He said that there was a kid in his college and he would not attend his classes regularly and would work in gas stations and other odd jobs and was generally not that dedicated to studying, but a company took him, trained him for 2 weeks, and then got him a job in JAVA all within 2 weeks.

There is no way this kid could have been properly trained with the ability to do any justice to work in JAVA. JAVA is so vast and so complicated, it takes a minimum of 2 months with proper practice to really learn JAVA and that too is only if the student is bright. But because of that news a bunch of students from his college went and joined him. Students do not look at the long term and knowledge, they care about the now and then, and all they cared about was getting into a job as quickly as possible.

I am sure that kid got the job only because they have a manager under their control and that person was able to manipulate things inside the recruiting process.

Here is one thing I promise you. I will not do that. I will only release a resume into the market place when the student is absolutely ready and capable of doing the job they will be applying for.

Maybe the length of my training in SAP of 2 1/2 months is too long for students but I will guarantee you that my students will be supremely confident about their ability by the time they finish with our training. They will have excellent knowledge in the subject we teach them.

I want to build a place that will stand the test of time. I want to keep improving with our quality initiatives. I want VXL to be a place that people will be proud to join, because of our success and the quality we offer.

I will keep my system intact and take the students that understand what long term success is about and want to build a career and not just get a job at any cost.

How to say SAP

2011-02-24T09:51:00.000-05:00

Here is your first lesson in SAP.

How do you say SAP? If you say it wrong, it really bugs people working in SAP.

OK.

SAP is never said as a word. It has bad connotations in English and in German. SAP is pronounced as S.A.P. saying each letter out individually.

So let us say it together. S.A.P.

Yes, you got it now.

Students Story 2

2011-02-20T22:07:00.002-05:00

The below story was edited with the permission of the student. She was a little unsure of her writing skills and I edited it so the message was clearer. But the letter is accurate as far as the spirit of her letter goes. We were happy to help you, you were a great student.

This is my testimonial. I hope that it will be helpful for the people out there trying to search for some good training place. For me, finding VXL Training has played such a crucial role in my career. Because of VXL I am now in my dream job.

As far as my story, I had lots of questions and Vijay answered them honestly and openly and I am so happy that I came to VXL Training. I was trained in Embedded Systems and it took less than 30 days for me to get my job. VXL helped me achieve my dream and I will always be grateful.

I hope my testimonial helps others, and you cannot go wrong in choosing VXL Training.

Once again I am so thankful to VXL and the entire team.

A Students Story

2011-02-20T19:40:00.001-05:00

I am unsure who wrote this, but I asked for my students to send me their stories of their time with us, here is first letter from a former student: (I would like to thank my former student, this letter was too kind)

A short note to Vijay from a student who is now working and doing well.

You might have heard of the saying – “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you feed him for life”. I believe that is exactly what VXL does, gives us students all the education, training and amenities needed to get where we want to be. As a trainee all I had to do was put in that extra effort and prepare with confidence. From the very first day everything concerning you and VXL has exuded class and quality. Accommodation, amenities, attention to details like providing transportation to the students and providing all the domestic supplies, everything speaks of professionalism and quality.

I have grown to become a very ambitious person and want much from life. I know I have the capacity to get it all! To motivate me with all my ambitions and expectations for the future guess who my Role Model is? It's you Vijay. Be it professionalism, kindness or your achievements - they are all traits that are truly appreciable.

I am grateful to VXL for having been the perfect launch pad for me to succeed in life. It has been a truly pleasant experience and it has been an honor working with you Vijay.

Sincerely,

Student

P.S. I would like to have posted this on your blog myself but I didn't know if I could do that. Please let me know if there is like a comments link on your blog where I can do that.

My Car License Plate

2011-02-19T14:39:00.001-05:00

The below picture is the license plate of my car. I guess it reflects my inner self and you guys know how much I LOVE SAP. This is from my 2010 VW CC that you will see me driving around.

My Own Relatives

2011-02-17T14:44:00.006-05:00

I have offered FREE classes to my own relatives and I still have not had a single one come and take a class with us.

I offered free training to my sister's son who graduated from Northwestern University and is still unemployed and to my cousin sister's daughter's boyfriend who works at Oakley, and I still do not see them in class. I usually get so upset to see talented people that are unemployed or under employed.

I think I need to be more passionate and emphatic in preaching my classes so that people will join.

I am usually dispassionate and truthful. I was watching an author on Jon Stewart last night and he was so passionate about his topic, that it makes me wonder if I can change to become like that, so that people will be convinced to come and I can then provide them a career.

Potential students, here is my message: (Imagine me Shouting Into a Large Crowd)

WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO TRAIN AND PLACE YOU INTO A CAREER. COME AND JOIN US AND I PROMISE, I WILL DO MY VERY BEST TO GET YOU A JOB. YOU JUST HAVE TO BE DECENTLY SMART AND I PROMISE YOU THAT 80% OF YOU WILL BE EMPLOYED WITHIN 90-120 DAYS.

If I had my own Statue of Liberty it would read:

"Give me your tired, and your poor, Your huddle masses yearning to have a good job, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door, and I will teach them!"

People that Succeed With Us

2011-02-17T14:32:00.002-05:00

Here, in order, are the type of students that succeed with us along with our current success rate:

1) People that have been working in a large corporate environment with 3-4 year of experience. - 95% (Mainly American Citizens and Greencards)
2) Recent Masters Graduates - Any Technology - 90%
3) Any student that puts in the required 40-50 hours per week that we recommend - 80%
4) H4 candidates - With Previous 2-3 years experience - 60%
5) H4 canididtaes - Without previous experience - 10%
6) Housewifes - 5%
7) Anyone older than 55 - 1%

The above is a typical student profile of ours and the associated success rates of the same.

My Kids

2011-02-17T14:23:00.003-05:00

I term all my students that come to our training institute as my kids. I do not have kids of my own and I will spend whatever it takes, get the best of everything to help my kids succeed.

Everyone makes fun of me because of my terminology for my students, but that is how I feel.

Each has taken the decision to place his trust in me and I will work hard to not fail them.

Once my students come here, they will come to realize this. I get in fights with Naveen and others all the time for my heavy spending on my kids for various classes and constant upgrades to our services and infrastructure. But that is how I am. I simply have to have the very best, whether it is people or infrastructure.

Our SAP server infrastructure must have cost us about $200,000 and an additional $7,800 per year in SAP support fees along with $30,000 year in license fees to Majul Enterprises. I pay this because I simply have to have the very best in Infrastructure and so I do not have to rely on others even for our SAP Access.

I know lots of other people would think that I go a little crazy in everything I do for my students, but I do not have kids and I do not have anything to really save for, so I spend all my money on my kids or for their benefit.

I can guarantee you that I will keep making things better and better for each batch of kids that come to us for training. I will not be like other training and placement institutes.

If any of my kids have an issue they can come to me and I would be happy to listen and solve the issue as quickly as possible.

Typical Classroom

2011-02-16T21:15:00.002-05:00

This one of our typical classrooms. This classroom will fit about 14 students. It has electronic white boards and polycom speaker phones. We of course have HD Projectors.

We Typically have a combination of live and online students so we have electronic white boards so that whatever a teacher writes on the board will appear to our online students also.

Of course staying with our theme of using the very best equipment we use only Polycom speaker phones for the conference call number we give out for the online students.

SAP Training and Americans

2011-02-16T15:19:00.002-05:00

We have been running our SAP courses for a few years now and it still surprises me that 99% of my students are Indian.

I would guess that the American students currently in college do not understand the market place or the potential for SAP.

If Americans knew of the potential, I am sure they would be kicking my doors down to take SAP training.

Here is a lifecycle for typical SAP students with us.

Day 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 29-30, 36-37 - Theory Class

Day 3-7, 10-14, 17-21, 24-28, 31-35, 38-42 - 8 hours a day of practice and reading that we have assigned to you

The below only applies to our students who sign up with us for marketing.

Day 42-72 Small Group Discussion - We will assign you real world issues faced by our current consultants and you will need to discuss these with your classmates and come up with a solution. We do one major issue a day for 30 days.

Day 73-103 Marketing and Placement

The beauty in SAP is that there is no finite end point. There is no stagnation. It is so vast that you can keep learning and growing in your career for your entire life.

Let me give you an example. You start with SAP FICO, then you can move into FSCM, then Treasuries, then Cash management, then IS-Banking.

But if you take say, COGNOS, you learn that tool and there is no real growth beyond that except to learn the latest version of the same tool.

I wish I could scream at every one of the decently smart American kids I know to tell them what I know and encourage each and everyone of them to take SAP. But I am not sure they would really understand the potential.

Salary potential for first year is about $60,000-$80,000, and each year you will increase by $20,000 to $30,000 a year till you reach, by your 4th year, $200,000 and above.

Being an American myself, here I am serving the Indian Students from India that do know the truth and the potential. I am not complaining, I am happy that I can provide a quality service to them, but I wish I could my help my fellow Americans as well.

How to Succeed In a Telephone Interview

2011-02-16T14:43:00.000-05:00

I got the below from a friend of mine and felt it would be very useful for all of our students to know.

How To Succeed In a Telephonic Interview

Learning how to successfully handle telephone interviews is crucially important. If you don't make it past the telephone interview, you will not be hired by the company, even if you are qualified. Many companies will use telephone interviews to help them lower their expenses. They are also used as a method of screening a large group of applicants to decide who is qualified for a group interview.

It is important for you to be prepared for a telephone interview. These interviews will be broken down into two types, and these are automated and non-automated. Automated telephone interviews are those that require you to answer a series of questions. With the non-automated telephone interview, you will be talking to an actual human. Many companies use both. You will want to prepare for a telephone interview in the same way you would prepare for a standard interview. However, the tone of your voice and the answers you give to questions will play a bigger role than your appearance.

Always keep your resume in a place where you can easily view it. You will be asked questions during the interview that you may need to answer with the information you have on your resume. If you have to look for it, the interview is over. During most telephone interviews, the employer will ask you about things you've accomplished. You will either need to have your accomplishments memorized, or you will need to have them written down. You should always have a pen and paper ready. You may be required to write down important information, and you won't have time to go look for these things.

If you will not be able to conduct a telephone interview at a specific time, it is important to make sure you let the employer know this. Missing the interview will kill your chances of being hired immediately. Before the interview starts, you will need to make sure you are in a quiet place. Noisy distractions such as pets, children, and loud noises must be stopped before the interview starts. Make sure there is no loud music playing, and the television and radio should be turned off. While conducting a telephone interview may sound easy, it is more difficult than you think. It is best to practice the telephone interview. You can do this with your family or friends. While speaking properly is important in a standard interview, it is crucial on the telephone.

The interviewer will place an emphasis on your tone of voice, background noise, and the way you answer questions. If you speak too soft, too fast, or too loud, you will increase your chances of failing the telephone interview. The automated interview will require you to concentrate. You should have a general idea of the questions that you will be asked, and you should have your answers prepared in advance. When you talk on the phone, avoid using the expressions "ums," "okays," and "uhs." Saying these things too much will show that you are not prepared, or you lack confidence.

Obvious things that you will want to avoid during the telephone interview are loud background noises, eating food, or drinking. Having a small glass of water nearby can help you keep your mouth dry, and this can improve your voice. As in regular interviews, never interrupt the person that interviewing you. Wait until they ask a question or make a statement before you give a response. Always use the title of the person you are talking to.
You should never use their first name unless they tell you its okay. Remember, your goal should be to pass the telephone interview so that you can move on to the next interview. It is the first step, and is just as important as the other interviews. You will need to make sure you're prepared before it starts.

You can't afford to make mistakes. Mistakes will lead to failure, and you are not given a whole lot of chances during the telephone interview.

Do's and Dont's in a Telephonic Interview

When you conduct a telephone interview, there are a number of things you will want to do, and there are also some things that you will want to avoid. Most companies will use telephone interviews as the first step in the hiring process.
If you fail this interview, you will not be hired by the company. Because of this, it is important to be mindful of things you should do and avoid. In this article, I will go over these things in detail. The first thing you will want to avoid is eating food during the interview process. You should eat before or after the telephone interview has been held.

If the interviewer hears you eating while they are talking to your, the chances of you passing the interview have decreased dramatically. In most cases, there is little need for the interview to go on beyond this point. To do so would be a waste of your time, and it would be a waste of the interviewer's time as well. Eating food during a telephone interview is rude, unprofessional, and disgusting. It could be likened to coming to a standard job interview wearing dirty clothes. It is the fastest way to fail the interview process. This is something you will want to avoid at all times.

The next thing that you don't want to do during the telephone interview is interrupt the person that is interviewing you. This is rude and unprofessional, and if you do it more than once, you will destroy your chances of passing the telephone interview. It is also important to make sure you give short answers to questions that are asked. Never elaborate on any answer you give unless you are asked to do so by the interviewer. When you are asked a question, take a moment to think it over. Don't just answer the question quickly without thinking. If you do, you can give the wrong answer, and giving the wrong answers will cause you to fail the telephone interview.

It is also crucial for you to avoid speaking too fast or too slow. You should speak at an average level of speed. This is something that you may have to practice. If you speak too quickly, the interviewer may have to ask you to repeat yourself, which is inconvenient for the both of you. If you speak too slow, you may give the impression that you are not an intelligent person. It is also important to stay on topic. Remember, your goal is to pass the telephone interview so you can move on to the screening interview. Nothing else is important when it comes to you getting the job, and you should always stay on topic.

Another thing that you will want to avoid is not being prepared. As the saying goes, when you "fail to prepare, you prepare to fail." If the interviewer asks you about the company's history, can you given them a detailed response? If they ask you why you want to work for their company, do you have a valid answer? You should never be surprised by any questions that are asked during the interview. Surprises will lead to failure. It is also important for you to make sure the interviewer never has to repeat themselves. If you do, this is generally a sign that you are not listening to what they have to say. Allowing this to occur one time during the interview can keep you from being hired by the company.

Telephone interviews are extremely important. If you want to pass them successfully, you must know what to do, and you must also know what to avoid. Many people fail these interviews because they don't know what to do.
They allow distractions or background noises to capture their attention. In other cases, they decide to conduct the telephone interview without making preparations beforehand. The telephone interview can be difficult. Most of the time, there are no second chances. If you make any of the mistakes I have mentioned in this article, it is likely that you will be looking for employment with another company. Take the time to practice, and learn everything you can about the proper telephone interview procedures.

Dealing with Tricky questions

How To Deal With Tricky Interview Questions

During your HR interview, you will be presented with a number of questions from the interviewer. The way you answer these questions will play a role in whether or not you're hired. While some of these questions have obvious answers, others will be tricky, and the most obvious response may not be the correct one.
In this article I will present a number of questions that you may be asked during an interview, and I will provide you with a general response that will allow you to answer the question correctly. One question that an employer may ask you about is your starting salary.

1. What problems did you have at previous jobs?

This is another tricky interview question that you will need to be ready for. To answer it correctly you will want to state the problem in the correct context. For example, you could answer this question by saying that you didn't have enough of a challenge at your previous job. This is a positive statement that will show the interviewer that you are looking for a job that will challenge you. Never answer this question in a negative way. Present the problems from your previous job in a way that will allow you to overcome them by being hired for the position you desire.

2. Where do you see yourself in five years?

This is another question that you will want to pay close attention to. It may sound like any easy question, but it is more complex than it sounds. Most employers are looking for applicants who are constantly reaching for new goals. Answering this question by saying you plan to have a college degree is very good. It will show that you place an emphasis on education. You could also answer this question by saying you wish to obtain a management position within the company by this time. Again, this will convey a good message. You should never be vague when answering this question.

3. Why do you want to work for us?

This is an important question that you'd better be ready for. If you can't give a concise answer, the employer may think twice about hiring you. While the salary may be one of the reasons, you should not make it your primary reason. This is a question that you can answer easily if you've done your research on the company. You could answer it by saying that the company is well established, or it has a history of positive growth. You could also answer it by saying that you believe in the products or services that are being sold by the company.

4. Why should we hire you?

This is a powerful question, and it throws a lot of applicants off guard. The employer wants to know why they should hire you instead of the other qualified applicants, and again, you will need to give them a good reason.
This is not a question that you will want to answer in a vague manner. Be specific and sell yourself. Explain to them why you have what it takes. You should list your experience, education, and desire. This is a question that will allow an employer to determine if you are the best applicant. You must be concise and give them a good reason for hiring you.

Most Popular HR Interview Questions With Generic Answer Formats

While it is impossible to know exactly what you will be asked during a job interview, there are a number of generic questions that most companies will ask you.
In this article, I will present you with some questions that are commonly asked during the job interview process, and I will give you some good responses that you will want to use. It is not necessary for you to use the exact answers that are found in this article. However, it is important for you to understand the the principle behind them.

1. How do you handle stress or pressure?

You could answer this question by saying that stress is an important issue to you. While high levels of stress can be negative, I use stress in a productive way that can allow me to work harder. It is important for me to make sure I have the correct balance of positive stress and negative stress. You could also answer this question by saying you perform better when you are under reasonable levels of stress.

2. What do you find motivates you the most?

This is a question that does not require an answer that is right or wrong. The employer is trying to see how you are motivated. It is also a method they will use to determine if you are compatible for the job. It doesn't make much sense to put you in a position where you will not be motivated by the work you do. The best way to answer this question is to be honest. Let the interviewer know what motivates you the most. Don't tell them what they want to hear because you are trying to get the job. While this may help you in the short term, it can hurt you in the long run.

3. Do you prefer to work alone, or do you work better in groups?

This is a question that you will want to answer carefully. If the position you are applying for requires you to work alone, it doesn't make much sense to answer it by saying you enjoy working in groups. If the position requires you to work in groups, telling the interviewer you like working alone can keep you from being hired. However, the answer you give should be an honest one.

4. Give us an example of a challenging situation you've overcome.

This is a request that will require you to know a lot about yourself. If you've prepared for the interview beforehand, you should be able to answer this question without any problems. You should reflect on your past work experience. You must quickly be able to think about any challenges you've overcome. It doesn't have to be something that is related to employment. If you were in the military, you could describe a challenge you overcame. If you are a college graduate, you can give an example of an academic challenge you successfully overcame.

5. What do you find interesting about this job?

The answer that you give better be more than just the salary. You should be able to give detailed reasons for why you are interested in being hired for a certain position. Answering this question correctly may require you to do your research on the company. This is something that must be done before the interview starts.

6. Why should we hire you?

This is one of the most difficult questions in the interview process. However, it is a good question, especially if you are competing for a position against people who are equally qualified. To answer this question, describe how your skills can be valuable to the company. Not only will you want to direct the towards your accomplishments, but you will also want to demonstrate your personality and desire. Explain that you are impressed with the history of the company, and you want to play a role in the success of the organization.

7. In what ways can you contribute to our company?

You will want to answer this question by selling yourself. Explain how your skills, personality, and experience can allow you to contribute to the company. This is a question that you may want to prepare for in advance. You will want to answer it with a powerful statement. You don't want to be uneasy of hesitant. If the employer suspects this, you may lose your chance to be employed with the company.

Qualities That companies Generally Look For In An Aspiring Candidate

While each job that you apply for may require you to have different qualifications, there are some common qualities that every employer will look for in applicants. They will seek to find these qualities during the interview process.

Much of the job interviews that are conducted by large companies will be processed through the human resources department. While there are basic requirements that you will need to have in order to be hired, there are some other qualities that employers will look for, and you will need to demonstrate them. If you do not, you won't be hired, even if you have the credentials for the position.

One thing that most companies will look for in applicants is the ability to work well with a team. This is essentially important. The reason for this is because an employee that cannot work well with a team can disrupt the department, and can cause the company to lose money. When you look at the interview process, it is important for you to look at it from the perspective of the company. Hiring an employee can be risky. While they can help you make money, they can also cause you to lose money as well. During most HR interviews, they will ask you about your ability to work well with a team. If the get the sense that you will not work well with a team, it is likely that they will not hire you.

If you don't work well with a team, you will need to learn how. Not being a team player can cause problems. It is crucial that you understand the importance of teamwork. Another thing that employers will look for during the interview is discipline. Most companies want to hire employees that have high levels of discipline. In addition to discipline, many of them will also look at leadership abilities as well. Leadership abilities are important for applicants who are applying for management positions. Even if you want to be a manager or supervisor, the people who work below you will want you to lead them.

A company that is hiring for a management position must find an applicant who has leadership abilities. Punctuality is also important. If you show up late to an interview, there is a high probability that you will not be hired. No matter what position a company is hiring for, they will have a tardiness policy, and showing up late to an interview will convey a message that you will not be punctual if you are hired. Most large companies don't like to deal with applicants that need to be micromanaged. Depending on the position you are applying for, you may need to make a lot of decisions on your own, and you may not be under the direct supervision of a manager.

One of the most important qualities that a company will look for in applicants is success. You must be success oriented. Many organizations place an emphasis on education, and they may even be able to help you pay your way through school. Generally, many companies desire applicants who are currently enrolled in college. To many large companies, having a good education is important. But this alone may not be enough. Experience is a quality that many companies will look for in candidates. If you have five years of experience in a particular field, you will have a much higher chance of being picked for a job that someone who only has two years of experience.

Honesty is another quality that companies will look for in applicants. This is especially true for jobs in the banking or financial industry.

The applicants who are hired in these industries may be given access to a large amount of customer information, and the goal of the company is to hire someone they trust. In industries like this, companies are unlikely to hire individuals with a criminal record. Of course, there are basic qualifications that employers will look at when interviewing applicants. If you are applying for a job as a computer programmer, the company will want to see your credentials and experience within this field. The same thing can be said for virtually any industry.

2) Develop excellent answers;

(3) Practice!

Be enthusiastic and confident when responding to questions. Don't rush your answers, but don't ramble on and on, either. Try to, um, avoid, like, using unnecessary words, right? And um, repeating yourself or, like, annoying phrases, you know?

A good technique is to write out your answers to the questions you anticipate, then edit them to make them more concise. Then practice your polished answers out loud, over and over. If you can have someone help you do a "mock interview," that would be the best way to do this.

Most questions will relate either to your ability to do the job or to the type of employee you will be. Here's one that is very commonly used to help the interviewer learn about both:

"Tell me a little about yourself."

When responding to this request, you should focus on both your personal and professional values. Always be honest, but talk about your best traits only, especially those that relate to the position for which you are applying. Highlight experiences and accomplishments you are most proud of.

Here's an example:

"I'm an experienced communications specialist with extensive knowledge of public information tools and techniques. I've developed comprehensive communication plans for major public events, written dozens of articles accepted by worldwide publications, and created specialized educational programs for adults and students. I am always eager to learn new methods and procedures, and have implemented continuous improvement techniques in my past positions that saved money and increased productivity. I like working with people and enjoy group projects, but am also a self-starter who doesn't mind working on my own. I'm a volunteer with the local chapter of Special Olympics and enjoy participating in community events. My goals are to complete my Master's Degree and broaden my experiences with community relations."

Remember to tailor your response to the specific job. By studying the job announcement, you'll get a good idea of the skills and experience being sought. Work those into your response.

Consider this your own personal commercial. If the interview consisted of only this ONE chance to sell yourself, what would you say?

"What do you feel has been your greatest work-related accomplishment?"

Choose one example from your past that was important to you and helped the company you worked for. Give specific details about what you did, how you did it, and what the results were. Try to pick an accomplishment that relates to the position for which you are applying. Employers like to hear about accomplishments that reduced expenses, raised revenues, solved problems or enhanced a company's reputation.

"What is your greatest strength?"

This is a great chance to highlight your best skills. Don't pick just one, focus on your top three or four. Some examples are: leadership skills, team-building skills, and organizational skills. Determine which strengths would fit best with the position for which you are applying. For example, if the job announcement stresses the ability to handle multiple tasks, you could say: "I'm good at organizational skills, prioritization and time management. But my greatest strength is my ability to effectively handle multiple projects and deadlines."

"What is your greatest weakness?"

Be careful with this one. Most interview guides will tell you to answer it with a positive trait disguised as a weakness. For example, "I tend to expect others to work as hard as I do," or "I'm a bit of a perfectionist." Interviewers have heard these "canned" answers over and over again. To stand out, be more original and state a true weakness, but then emphasize what you've done to overcome it. For example: "I've had trouble delegating duties to others because I felt I could do things better myself. This has sometimes backfired because I'd end up with more than I could handle and the quality of my work would suffer. But I've taken courses in time management and learned effective delegation techniques, and I feel I've overcome this weakness."

IMPORTANT: Be sure the weakness you talk about is NOT a key element of the position!

"How do you handle stressful situations?"

Give some examples of stressful situations you've dealt with in the past. Tell how you use time management, problem-solving or decision-making skills to reduce stress. For example, tell them that making a "to-do" list helps. Site stress-reducing techniques such as stretching and taking a break. Don't be afaid to admit that you will ask for assistance if you are feeling overwhelmed.

If it's true, say you actually work better under pressure.

"What is the toughest problem you've had to face, and how did you overcome it?"

Try to make this about a problem that faced your company and not just you or your particular work group. The bigger the problem, the better. Give specific examples of the skills and techniques you used to resolve this problem. Emphasize the successful results. Be generous in sharing credit if it was a team effort, but be sure to highlight your specific role.

"Have you ever had to discipline a problem employee? If so, how did you handle it?"

This is a likely question if the position for which you are applying requires supervisory duties. Explain how you used problem-solving skills, listening skills, and coaching skills to help the employee. If those techniques turned the employee around, be sure to say so. If those techniques failed, tell how you followed the company's policies and what the end result was.

"Why do you want this position?"

Here's where your research about the company will help you stand out among the other candidates. Explain how you've always wanted the opportunity to work with a company that... provides a vital public service, leads the industry in innovative products, whatever... find something specific about that company that you can tie in with your answer. Explain how your qualifications and goals complement the company's mission, vision and values (use specific examples). If you are applying for a position in a company for which you already work, explain how you'll be able to apply and expand on the knowledge and experience you've gained from your current position, and will be able to increase your contributions and value to the company through your new responsibilities.

"Why are you the best person for this job?"

As with all other questions, be confident and enthusiastic when you answer this. Don't try to say you are the best qualified person, because you don't know the qualifications of the other applicants. Instead, emphasize several reasons why you should be hired. For example: "I've got extensive experience in [name the appropriate field] and have the specific skills you are looking for. I'm a fast learner who adapts quickly to change and will hit the ground running. I'm dedicated and enthusiastic about helping your company meet its goals, and will provide top-quality results with minimal oversite. I'm an outstanding performer who takes pride in my work. You won't have any regrets when you hire me."

UNEXPECTED QUESTIONS

Interview questions and answers can only be predicted and prepared for to a certain extent. There are endless variations and no way to know every question in advance. But that doesn't matter. Because you know there will be unexpected questions, you will not cringe or freak out when they pop up, as some applicants will. Instead, you will turn them into opportunities to shine even more brightly.

No one knows you better than you. Memorize a list of your best features, your best selling points. Use every opportunity and unexpected question to mention these.

Realize that sometimes what you say isn't as important as how you say it. Be confident, enthusiastic, and remember to smile often.

QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK

Often the interviewer's last question is, "Do you have any questions for me?" Candidates who do not have questions show a lack of initiative and give the impression that they have minimal interest in the position. Stand out from those lazy job seekers by asking questions!

Have your questions ready in advance. Relate them to the company or its accomplishments/challenges (your research of the company will show and further impress the interviewer). Don't ask any question that shows that you have not done your research about the company.

Do not ask questions related to you, such as "When will I be eligible for my first raise?" or "How often will I be subjected to a performance review?" Don't bring up money. (You can do that after you are offered the job.)

In addition to specific questions you develop based on what the company does, here are some sample generic questions:

What do you enjoy most about working here?

Be sure the person you ask actually works for the company. Some organizations, especially public agencies, have interview panels in which employees from other agencies participate.

Is there anything I've mentioned that makes you think I'm not the best candidate for this job?

If they do mention something that's bothering them about you, such as lack of specific experience, this gives you a last-ditch effort to change their opinion about you. If you've thought about your possible weaknesses in advance, you should have a prepared answer to those weaknesses. For example, "I know I have limited experience in this field, but what I lack in specific experience I make up for in enthusiasm and desire to excel. I'm a fast learner and I'll work harder than anyone else to be a top producer on your team."

When do you expect to make your final decision?

Be sure to ask that! Failure to do so may give the impression that you're not that interested, and you need to know when to follow up.

Websites which can help you
www.geekinterview.com

My Philosophy

2011-02-15T21:20:00.001-05:00

My philosophy for VXL Training has been very simple from the beginning:

Honesty and Integrity.

Best Teachers, Best Training, Hottest Technologies.

I will tell you why these are so important to me. I get students that have finished their master’s degrees and they are still lost on how to get a job or for that matter even on what to do.

I am constantly on the phone guiding my students on what classes to take. I would say that about 50% of the calls I get are from students who simply do not know what they want to do and take guidance from me. I will listen to their background and give them honest guidance.

The above is the Honesty and Integrity part. I will give you an example here, we train in SAP FICO. For this class there is a clear need to know Finance and Accounting. There was a competitor company that was taking everyone and everybody for that course and it did not matter what background they had. I would only take people with finance or accounting background for my course. For one of the classes in which we had on the same day they had 13 students and we had 6. This was their first class and we had been doing this for a year by this time. It upset me tremendously that I was losing to those incompetent idiots in recruiting and I was wondering what I was doing wrong. I checked their Advertising, it was an almost word for word copy of my ad. I checked their infrastructure, and it was pathetic compared to ours. The guy that was handling the calls and was the figurehead was this guy that would be chewing pan all the time and you would get near him and you could smell that sickly pan smell.

By the way, before I continue, they are now out of the training business and we are still going strong.

Now let us get into why it is so important to take only the appropriate people into a particular course. In my class out of the 6 students 4 got placed and the other 2 were learning it, because they were implementing it at work and wanted to learn more about it.

Out of their class, one got placed and the rest I would see all the time on our floor all dejected and despondent. A couple of them stopped by and were asking me for advice and I asked what their background was and they told me that it was Mechanical Engineering. I asked why they took SAP FICO since they did not have the necessary background. They told me that Prakesh (The other companies guy), told them that it did not matter what background you had, that anyone can learn SAP FICO.

Now here is the truth.

In SAP Jobs about 80% of the time you spend in discussion of process flow and discussing the theory of FICO and how either the SPA system needs to be configured and changed for the company’s needs, or how the company needs to change their process flow to configure to the Best Practices that SAP has designed. The other 20% of the time you spend on a computer making those changes. There is no way someone without the theory knowledge can succeed in a job like FICO.

So yes, I am absolutely honest and will tell you exactly what I know to be true. If I lose a student because I do not feel they can succeed in a course, which is OK for me. My end goal is to get my students a job, if I feel I cannot do that I will either tell you the honest truth and we will follow caveat emptor (Let the Buyer Be Aware), or I will guide them to join a more appropriate course based on their background.

In my second philosophy, I constantly strive to get the very best teachers for our training. If I am not the very best at something or at least near the top, then I will not teach it. In Detroit, I will give you an example, there is a company that is fantastic at teaching PMP, I have had teachers offer to teach it for me, but I will simply not do it, for the sole fact that the other company is so good at what they do, it would be an injustice to the students if I were to teach it.

So I can almost guarantee that if I am teaching something you can pretty much guarantee yourself that we will be the top in our field or very close to the top.

VXL Training History

2011-02-15T20:33:00.003-05:00

Legally VXL Training was started by me, Vijay Madala, but with the help of my friend and mento, there is no way I would be where I am now.

I was working for CCSI as a general do it all type of person and one day we got a call from one of our consultants that he knew of a great SAP teacher and would we be interested in teaching SAP. We did not know much about SAP, but we had a friend of his that specialized in training and placement of students in SAP (named) and were doing very well. We were also intrigued with the possibilities and we decided to meet with the team that wanted to start the training.

That was what we received. I do not have a final copy of the agreement but my guess was that we must have agreed to their terms, because we simply did not have the knowledge to argue the terms.

We gave them space for the class and provided computers, and other infrastructure that they needed to run classes. We paid for advertising and advertised for students to take the classes and our classes used to get very full. We were one of the very first to train in SAP in Detroit and we used to get lots of students. The ERP Quest group would train, collect the money and then give us our share for the infrastructure. That first year we trained lots of individuals but we did not place very many people. Most of the students that came to us during that time were people that were already working in Ford, GM, Delphi and were bored and wanted a change of career, and most of them placed themselves in SAP.

The training was good, the trainer was good, but we failed for the simple reason that it was not a skill set we had mastered and did not realize all the intricacies that were involved in training and placement of a student at the time. The students succeeded, however. we must have had about an 80-90% placement rate by the students themselves.

Looking back I see the lost opportunity we had for growth and it makes me cringe to see our colossal waste of time and man power for the scraps that were thrown our way by the trainers. They were more interested in the short term money that was provided by the training and the free rent and zero infrastructure cost that they were receiving.

We spent tens of thousands of dollars for very little return on our investment. But for me it was an opportunity to learn on my friends money and I was able to build the company to where we are today, one of the premier training and placement companies in the USA in Information Technology.

That is just a short history of how we started here at VXL.

We have evolved and morphed into something so much more now. We have learned tremendous lessons and continue to get better at what we do.