Negotiating salary??

[ThePartyArtist]

Finally, after over a year and a half of job searching, and 15 interviews I have got a new job! The salary is advertised at £22.5k - £25.5k, and currently I earn £19k. The job is for 18 months so I am unlikely to progress through that scale (by normal increments ralated to length of service) in that time. I would like to negotiate so I don't start at the lowest end of this scale - any tips for how I can do that, given that the new employer is aware I currently earn less than the low end of the scale?

[flowery]

You need to consider the following:

Why are you worth more than the bottom of the scale? What do you bring to the role over and above what they need?

Do they have lots of other good candidates or have they struggled to fill this role?

Do they have an internal policy stating that new recruits will always start at the bottom? (this is fairly common)

Is the bottom of the scale below market rate for that role?

Can you convincingly state that you would otherwise stay where you are? I once negotiated a higher starting salary, by illustrating that the fantastic pension I'd had previously would mean that overall I would not be increasing my total package on the offer they'd made, and as the role was a promotion, I wasn't prepared to move without an appropriate salary bump. I meant it, and would have carried on looking had they not increased their offer. Would you do the same?