A prospective employer asked me what my current salary was. The job that I wanted was advertised for at least �10K additional money. When they asked me for what salary I expected, I bottled it and just asked for an additional �8K. I felt a bit funny saying that I felt I deserved at least their min. salary. What's the best way to justify this because I know that I'm just underpaid for my work - current market prices for my work are much higher so I really should aim higher.
The best way is be honest and bold. I was in exactly the same position and have just landed a job that pay over 9k more per year than the one i'm in now. and i was seriously on peanuts
I would also be totally honest with your employer. Upon graduating, I set myself a minimum salary that I would work for. A job I was offered didn't actually pay as much as I was expecting so I spoke to the employer and told them that I wasn't earning as much as I might like. As a result, I was offered a little bit more. This was enough to tempt me to accept the job offer.