Vlookup not working, brand new to using Excel

[Freedom041984]

I just recently started using Vlookup and still need to take a training course (this is just teaching myself so please make your answer for an "Excel for Dummies" version :-)

I have two tabs on my spreadsheet:
Data on tab 1, columns = employee name, e-mail address, zip code just for employees in a certain state
Data on tab 2, columns = full list of employee names, employee number, employee status, e-mail address
Goal = on sheet 1 get any employees that have been terminated from sheet 2 to match up with sheet 1
I tried a few different types of vlookups (doing the name as the first option then highlighting on the second tab from the name to the status) everything keeps coming back NA, NA, NA and I'm ready to lose my mind over here. Please help!! :-)

[Sam Capricci]

your formula should look like this on tab 1... =VLOOKUP(A1,'tab 2'!A:C,2,FALSE) if the employee name is in column A of tab 1 and column A of tab 2 and the employee status is in column C of tab 2.
#N/A comes back if the name in cell A1 isn't found in column A of tab 2.

[Raymundus]

This shouldn't be hard, but I don't know what your workbook looks like... But if your columns are in order as described above starting in column A on both sheets, AND if the status column for a terminated employee actually says "Terminated", you can try this:
Paste this formula in the sheet1 cell to the right of the last column and copy down.
=IF(VLOOKUP(A1,Sheet2!A:C,3,False)="Terminated","Terminated","")

The result should put the word terminated at the right of any employee on sheet1 that has been terminated. You can then use the autofilter.

If your sheets have names other than Sheet1 and Sheet2 replace the Sheet2 reference with the sheet name in apostrophes...'sheetname'

Let me know if you need more help