The recruitment representative early in the first interview said she could not move forward in the interview until I told her how much I was paid at my last position and what compensation I am willing to accept at that position. I told her that my previous position compensation was not relevant to this position (even though it was probably higher), and that the compensation level would be greatly dependent on better understanding of the position, other benefits, etc. I then asked if she could provide the range they are considering for the position, and she said she could not do that. They basically use informational asymmetry as leverage to drive down your compensation level to as low as possible. Not only does this affect the employee directly in compensation, but it sends the message of "we are trying to find the cheapest employee for the job". Do you want to work somewhere where they see employees as a commodity? Would you be working with the best and brightest? Probably not.