I've hired a lot of people in my career, and I completely understand why someone would want to keep their salary and even their salary expectations private. However, I also have a hiring budget and there are limits on what I can realistically offer. If someone wants 120k and my budget maximum is 90k, there is no reason to continue the dialogue. Some companies have flexibility, other companies don't. It's also highly role-dependent, some roles can basically name their price, others not so much. I definitely recommend at least having a ball-park in mind.