I am currently working in a company that I have worked for since I graduated 4 years ago. I have changed job titles since I began working there as I originally started in a graduate role and this was 'upgraded'. I now do the same role as others within my department but I am on a lower pay scale than them. My boss is aware of my interest in moving up to match their pay and has said I am ready for this but every time I ask for this I am always told that there isn't scope for this at the moment.
I really enjoy my job and the people I work with, but I recently applied for a similar role in a different company (not even expecting to get an interview), requested a salary that matched the pay grade I was hoping to move to and have been offered the job. Ideally I would like to stay in my current role at the place I am working, but I am getting more and more frustrated at the pay scale issue.
Could I use this job offer to negotiate a pay rise? If so, how would I go about this in a way that meant that if I decided not to take the job, it wouldn't cause any bad feelings between my boss and I?