[Moderator Note: Split from this topic. Dave]
So basically you haven’t used it before but need to demonstrate knowledge of how to use it? 
Frequently asked questions:
How long have you been using BusinessObjects for?
I haven’t 
Seriously, most of the interview questions involve discussing your BusinessObjects experience and different types of BO deployments that you have carried out. Permanent and contract posts merit different questions. What sort of post are you applying for?
I think it’d be virtually impossible to BS your way into a BO job - I think I’d know very quickly whether somebody was ‘au fait’ with the product or not. Buzz words and canned responses just won’t cut it.
I mean, we’ve been using it for years now and sometimes we don’t even know what we’re talking about!!!
norty303 
(BOB member since 2003-03-19)
Your ID suggests you are from India, Grab a copy of Cindi Howson’s book on Business Objects, its availalbe from firstandsecond.com for nearly INR 500 (~USD 10).
Though reading a book wont makeup for actual experience / tranining, if you are looking for quick rampup for an interview, its the place to be.
shamit (BOB member since 2004-07-01)
I think it’s a very deceptive practice to represent yourself as having knowledge of a product, just for an interview. If you are not an expert in a product, or if you don’t even have experience – I think you should be honest and say so.
Anita Craig 
(BOB member since 2002-06-17)
Depends…if you are working for a consultancy company that will only hire you if you get the client to pick you… The way I learned BO was by being picked by a client via a teleconference interview where ‘an expert’ whispered the answers to his questions to me and which I repeated in the telephone call. And there I was off into a different country for two months as an expert in BO. I suffered the consequences…that is how I found this forum…and now it seems BO is the only technology letting me work. This consultancy company would not have appreciated my honesty of lack of experience…this is the world we live in. THe only interview question that stuck with me is what is the purpose of aliasing table name in the universe. One purpose is to avoid looping. Sorry I still can’t give the whole details of the full answer on that. I’m assuming the interview is over already though.
tweetee 
(BOB member since 2004-10-14)
Lucky you, but unlucky client who thought they’d get an expert from the get go.
Consulting companies are ususally not looking to fill junior or trainee positions. Having said that I know what you mean and agree that a lot of companies are not willing to invest in a newcomer who is honest about his/her skill level as a beginner, but shows the motivation to learn.
Andreas 
(BOB member since 2002-06-20)
I think that is a very clear indication of why passing yourself off as an ‘expert’ isn’t good practise. Whilst you may now have good experience, you were clearly NOT good value for money for the company employing you. I’m sure that had you been found out, there may have been legal implications for either you or the consultancy firm employing you.
You make it sound like you had no option but to do this… as they wouldn’t have appreciated your honesty in admitting you had no experience of it.
How about ACTUALLY getting some experience in the product before applying for positions such as these.
I know if I was to employ someone under these circumstances and later find out the reality of the situation, I’d take matters as far as I possibly could.
norty303 (BOB member since 2003-03-19)
That’s a chicken and egg situation.
BO is not like Java (JDK)/ Most of languages /MSSQL/Oracle/Apache/Linux. All of these are either free software or are freely downloadable for development / learning. So you can learn these things even on your own.
With BO, you can not learn it without working on it (training is not always an option) and you don’t get to work on it unless you know it.
shamit (BOB member since 2004-07-01)
No, but starting as a reporter then moving on to be a Designer was the way I began. To blag your way into a consultancy role from absolutely no experience is wrong and certainly in the companies I worked for you would be off the premises before you had a chance to say clear your desk. Then they would be getting on to the consultancy firm and slapping them with a wet noodle, or worse.
Aren’t we glad that airline mechanics don’t get their jobs in the same way?
In my opinion, if you are “faking” a job interview to get a job you are doing yourself and any potential employers a huge disservice.
This may be the world you chose to live in, but not every company works this way.
Dave Rathbun (BOB member since 2002-06-06)
Certainly, and he must have been lucky to get past that interview. Facing open ended questions would have been difficult even with a little help 
shamit (BOB member since 2004-07-01)
Dishonesty may get you the job. Experience will keep in for you.
Don’t kid yourself. Any company that would want you to lie about your experience is not a company you should want to work for. Also, don’t call it a consultancy. That’s just a body-shop that doesn’t care about the employee at all.
Also, don’t believe for a second that this is the way of the world. I have worked for 2 well respected consulting firms who were both extremely honest. As a result, we could get higher rates. Clients knew they were dealing with very low risk because our people knew what they were talking about.
Body-shop firms (especially off shore firms) can get away with deceptive tactics because the customer never really knows what’s going on. In the long run, the honest firms with real experience will prevail.
Steve Krandel (BOB member since 2002-06-25)
That should be a bumper sticker, or a poster, or something. 
Great job of cutting straight to the heart of the matter, Steve.
Dave Rathbun (BOB member since 2002-06-06)
Hi Experst,
Even i am new to BO . Last couple of months i have been trying to search job in same.
In India the company asks for only those having exp : of min 3 year. Initially when i applied, i was not getting any calls. but when i tried to show them having 4 years , my inbox was full of requirements.
The problems that happened is having 4 years exp , the interview panel that was suppose to take my interview was having 8 to 10 years exp. so every time in Interview they used to disect from left ,right ,up , down from every corner.
After few months, i changed my resume having 2 year exp , company stoped entertaining my resume. for last 3 months ,i am not in reciept of a single call.
If you ask me , i have a good knowledge of Deski/Webi, resolving loops,SQL concept of server …may be not in that depth but having a on job training for about 1 months will do. Having said my pros and cons guide how should i go about it.
Conclusion: No jobs for 2 years
you cannot get that knowledge without working ,that seems to having a professional working for 3-4 year
so you cant clear interview faking the expirience
Joining the insitituion doenst give the job placement gurantee.
How i should proceed in above situations??
joinshashank (BOB member since 2011-03-20)
Well first: One should not lie on one’s resume/CV for starters, that is a definitive NO GO
Second, be willing to acceppt less pay in order to get some training on the job.
Third, get with a consulting company who will pair you with a seasoned consultant on a project, you being billed at a junior consultant rate or not at all to the client, meaning your employer/consulting company is making an invest in you.
Andreas (BOB member since 2002-06-20)
THis world is all the way full of dishonesty .
faking your resume is no big deal …head if luck makes the deal:)
everybody is doing that thing i believe
komal rai (BOB member since 2012-04-09)
I STRONGLY Disagree
Chris Pohl (BOB member since 2002-06-18)
Tell that to the former CEO of Yahoo! who was fired for an “improper” resume. If I found a contractor or consultant had faked a resume to get a job, I think that it would not only reflect badly on that individual but also on the company that represented them.
Just not a good idea.
Dave Rathbun (BOB member since 2002-06-06)
I interviewed a guy a few years ago who had included Application Foundation in his list of skills on his resume. I started asking questions about AF, to which he replied that he hadn’t worked with it. When I asked why it was on his resume, he said that he was “interested to learn”.
Needless to say, he wasn’t considered.
joepeters (BOB member since 2002-08-29)
I am NOT in any way supporting the deceptions described in this thread - BUT I do think we have our “heads in the sand” if we don’t think that this “Resume Inflation” is all part of a larger problem in the Consulting / Contracting / Sub-Contracting world for Business Objects skills.
There are a number of market factors that play into this -
1.) Clients who request a single “BOBJ Super-Guru” role with impossible specs (eg. 5+ years of HANA experience), when what they really need is a team of 3 or 4 different BOBJ specialists.
2.) Client Procurement processes that are based on dollar-per-point matrix / grid evaluations (eg. Box-checking against the bad specs), rather than previous project success / references.
3.) SAP-BOBJ Sales Executives who over-sell the features of the Software, and under-sell the effort / timelines to implement and maintain correctly (eg. “You can have an Executive Dashboard in 2 weeks”).
4.) Systems Integrators, HR Agencies and “Body Shops” that expect a 35%+ margin on the People they provide to a project.
5.) Multiple levels of “margin” between the Client and the Contractor (eg. Contractor -> Body Shop -> System Integrator -> Software Vendor -> Client) with everyone adding a high % margin.
6.) Differing competency-standards enforced by “Off Shore” service providers - who can offer MUCH lower rates…but throw more bodies at a problem.
Not sure how we fix these problems - but I don’t see “Resume Inflation” going away as long as the problems above still exist.
MJRBIM (BOB member since 2007-03-23)