Admittedly, I did have the mindset of finding talents at a lower salary point. It felt like a win for the company as we could keep expenses low and a win for myself that I was able to negotiate in favor of the company.
As the person hiring (the Employer side), I had the bargaining power to always go for this question first.
"What was your last salary?"
"What is your expected salary?"
In negotiation, whoever shares the number first has a disadvantage.