Following that, wouldn't it be more efficient if companies said from the outset what their rate is? That would be a lot more efficient. Of course, the money the company is able to pay depends on the process and the business environment, and the company wants to hire as much qualification as it can afford. But nobody is helped if somebody goes through the interview process only to learn that the salary at offer will never match what he/she wants.

((BTW this is why in my case, I decided to leave the UK for mainland Europe - most job offers in the UK were at little more than half the compensation from what I had earned in Germany before. And the difference was even larger when factoring in the cost of housing!)