So why ask what the candidate what they were paid before if it does not influence negotiations? What it actually does is give you a strong hint on where to sta

So why ask what the candidate what they were paid before if it does not influence negotiations? What it actually does is give you a strong hint on where to start an offer and how hard to push since most people will be unlikely to decline an offer that is 10% higher than what they were making unless they have a better competing offer (another reason why you should aim to have more than one). You are right that company has already heavily invested in the candidate, but so did they. Walking away means losing time and energy invested in pursuing this position, not to mention emotional investment in getting the job they want (again mitigated by pursuing more than one).