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Assuming this is the US and you did not falsify the information you provided, worst they can practically do is to fire you for incompetence if you lack the skills required. Chances are if you put embedded programming on your resume and they saw that, with a position possibly matching it they have likely been trying to fill for some time, they tried to see if you could qualify. And seems like they were satisfied at the interview so they extended you the position.

Most of the time the experience requirements and such are arbitrary and even put there by recruiters just filling out a form and putting in semi-arbitrary numbers. Once past an interview it does not really matter. I would take it as a sign of good luck and take it, and dedicate some of my free time to catch up to speed if that seems like would be an issue.

edit: As far as them not explicitly telling you this, the HR might have passed your resume to the team knowing it is a hard to fill role, with both sides assuming the other side told you about considering you for a different position

As a consultant with 10+ years of experience, I've been through enough similar situations to know what I would do here.

Entering into a working relationship is an act of mutual trust. An interview builds upon information in a CV, but it does not replace it. If you are about to enter into a working relationship based on a mixed up CV, you have one option:

Come clean. All cards on table.

And if you are at all in doubt about this, you've failed to view the situation from their side. Had it been your company, would you prefer for a candidate to correct a mistake like this before you trust him your money and your project? Or would you be fine with him knowingly entering into a working relationship based on a mistake?

I suspect you field this question because you are looking for someone to deter you from this obvious truth. Don't fall into that trap. You know what's right. Now do it.

The outcome of this? I expect a bunch of goodwill, a good stomach feeling and most likely the chance to keep the embedded position or at least a good shot at growing into it from the web development position that you surely will be offered.

The outcome of not doing it? The birth of a very nasty imposter syndrome. 6 months down the line, when low level allocation bugs have crept in and people begin to take notice of instability, do you want to be the guy that fails a code review, exposing the ugly truth you knew all along? Do you want to skate around your web development background going forward? Fake experience you don't have? Believe me, things only get worse from here.

Do the right thing. Stop thinking twice.

The fact that it says "10+ years experience of C" in the job advert doesn't necessarily mean that is what you really need, or what the company expects to get.

The key fact is that the interviewer spent an hour discussing embedded programming with you and presumably liked what he/she heard. There would be no sense in continuing the discussion for an hour if it was obvious within 10 minutes that you were not suitable for the job.

Whatever you have learned from your practical hobby experience might be a lot more valuable to the company than a computer science graduate with a head full of theory but not much else.

I think the extent of your trouble may be getting sacked without notice in the first month. Potentially.

It's impossible to tell what this employer has in mind about you, perhaps they are keen on you because you were keen on embedded programming, who knows? So what I would do is ask them for an additional meet with the hiring manager, preferably face-to-face. And clarify this with them. Better come out honest than otherwise.

If it were a mistake they will potentially offer you the webdev position, and if it weren't - even better, and you get so much more credit going forward.

In brief :

1. Embeded programming is your hobby this is every recruiters dream to engage an employee who considers work as hobby




2. Employers employ based on their needs! They think you are a perfect fit for the offered position. It is quite rare if they have mistaken you with someone else.

I believe it is a good opportunity for you, don’t miss it!

I don't think you should go for it.

I'm saying this because it could make your own life miserable. Doing something as a hobby is completely different than doing it under pressure at workplace. Pay is much higher in embedded programming field because it's way more complicated than web development.

Think about what you would like to do in the future before deciding.

There are not that many highly qualified embedded developers around. And lots of highly qualified desktop / mobile / server developers may not be interested in an embedded development job.

So it seems that what you showed in your interview was enough to convince them that you can do the job - or at least that you are the best candidate for an embedded development job that they are going to find.

If you are OK with doing embedded development for a much higher rate than your normal web development jobs, then go for it. Be prepared to do your best during the working day and lookup things you are missing in the evening, but that phase will be over soon, and the higher salary will stay.

Maybe you shouldn't mention in the company what happened, but then it is quite possible that the guy looking for a web developer saw your hobbies, and knew that someone else in the company is in dire need for an embedded developer, and passed you on knowing that he can find another web developer any time.

If you are smart and think you are up to it, then go for it. It's not as if you have no experience; you have experience with embedded development, and with development in general.

The company that hired you put those regulations in place to filter out those who are incapable of that position. IF the company, at some point, finds out that you do not have the experience that was required, they may fire you.

HOWEVER, if you prove that you are capable of that job without the "requirements", they will likely keep you anyway, as opposed to going through the hassle of hiring another developer.