The department was desperate as they have had extremely high turnover in the position. Because of their desperation and difficulty in filling the position, they deliberately lied to me about how long the position had been vacant and they lied about the extent of the needs of the position because of their difficulty in keeping people in the position. If a candidate must be honest about their experience and credentials, then my expectations are that a prospective employer be no less transparent. Why would I want to work for a company that can be deceptive to its workforce?