The MicroTrain Blog

MicroTrain is pleased to announce that James Ellis has been named the new Online Marketing Manager. 

In this newly created position, James will oversee all of MicroTrain's online promotional activities,  including updating and maintaining the website, managing online lead generation, increasing website traffic, management of social media tools, building the student community/iportal, and website analysis.

Prior to joining MicroTrain, James worked for over 10 years in a variety of roles, all focused on web development.  Most recently he worked at the University of Wisconsin Alumni Association as the Web Director, where  for the past three plus years  he was responsible for many of the same items he will be handling at MicroTrain, including increasing site traffic, managing social media,  and overseeing the overall site development.  James holds a bachelors degree from the University of Texas and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. 

James began his new role on March 3, 2010.

With nearly 10 million people out of work in the U.S., the competition for landing a new job is intense.  Often there are hundreds of highly qualified individuals competing for the same position, meaning experienced and well-educated professionals are having as hard of a time as anyone finding work.

This was the situation in which Atif Ahmad found himself last March when he was let go from a leading telecom company after nine years.  Atif, who is a father of twin five year old girls, worked as a Project Manager before being let go as part of a massive layoff.

"I had spent my entire career there and now, just like that, I was out of work," Atif said.  "It was an eye opener to say the least."

It was an all too familiar story for many, where despite good performance and hard-work, ultimately the bottom line won out and cost-cutting measures led to layoffs.  Atif wasted no time and started looking for a new job, but despite nine years of management experience at a Fortune 100 company, and both a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering and an MBA, he was struggling to get any positive results.

"The problem wasn't really finding available jobs to apply to, because there were some good job postings for relevant positions, " Atif said.  " But I would send my resume and cover letter to apply for the positions, and then wouldn't hear back.  I just wasn't getting interviews."

After a frustrating four months of job searching, Atif knew he needed to do more to find his next job.  While his resume was impressive, and his education substantial, there were others competing for the same positions who had as much experience if not more.  With that in mind, Atif decided to enhance his resume by taking additional training and adding professional certifications. And that is when he first contacted MicroTrain.

"I had one interview in the first four months, and that did not result in an offer," Atif said. "I knew I needed to be more proactive to get ahead in this highly competitive job market. "

"The education consultants at MicroTrain really helped," Atif continued. "First they helped me identify the programs that would most help my career.  Then they also helped me understand some of the programs the government has to help provide training to people who are out of work.  Without MicroTrain I wouldn't have ever known about programs like WIA (Workforce Investment Act), and without my WIA grant I never would have been able to add certifications like PMP, ITIL and Six Sigma Green Belt to my resume."

Within four months, Atif completed his training with MicroTrain and added three professional certifications: Project Management Professional, ITIL, and Six Sigma Green Belt.  In addition, MicroTrain offered additional opportunities to help students like Atif find their next job, including a professional Career Services department and outstanding networking opportunities.

"The Career Services team at MicroTrain really helped my job search process, by doing mock interviews, helping me improve my resume, providing constructive coaching, and helping find job leads," Atif said.  "In addition, one of the most valuable aspects of the training at MicroTrain was the outstanding networking opportunities with other students and instructors, and that was what ultimately opened the doors that led to my new job."

Atif completed his training after four months, and successfully passed the last of his certification exams in November.  The results were immediate and impressive.

"The PMP certification through MicroTrain was a big boost to my resume as almost immediately I started receiving more calls from recruiters," Atif said.  "I got my PMP certification in November, and within that first month had four interviews and countless number of phone calls.  Then after the holidays and the start of the new year, it picked up again with many more calls, more interviews, and ultimately, several job offers."

After 10 months of searching, Atif finally found his new job in late January, 2010.  And he actually had several options from which to choose.  At the end, his new employer was looking for someone with the combination of a PMP certification, ITIL certification, and Six Sigma Green Belt.  As it turns out, that company was MicroTrain, who wanted an individual with these skills to manage its educational programs, and as an experienced project manager with the desired certifications, Atif was the perfect fit. 

"I waited over 9 months to get any kind of job offer, then suddenly I had three viable offers on the table," Atif explained. "In the end, I was able to be selective and choose the job that was the right fit for me, which included the opportunity for growth, the chance to help others get their careers back on track, and no travel so I can spend more time at home with my family.   I am thrilled with my new job, and know it would not have been possible without my certifications, and my training from MicroTrain.

"We were thrilled to get someone of Atif's caliber for our new Product Manager position," said Stan Van Nice, CEO and co-founder of MicroTrain.  "Our mission at MicroTrain is helping people get back to work, and when we are able to train the individual, help him identify any available funding options, and then actually hire him ourselves, it makes that mission even more powerful." 

Looking back on the experience, Atif thinks about the situation and the many options he had at the time.   "MicroTrain is not about making fake promises. Things happened exactly as they are advertised and beyond," he said.  "My experience as a student at MicroTrain was phenomenal. I could have picked a school which was close to my house and WIA authorized, but I choose to drive to Lombard just because of the quality of Education and Professional services offered by MicroTrain."

For more information on MicroTrain, visit www.microtrain.net and register to attend one of our free, informational seminars.