Graduating from college: Now what?

Asked by livelaughlove21 (15724) November 19th, 2013 from iPhone

I’m graduating on December 16 with a Bachelor of Arts in Experimental Psychology and a minor in Criminal Justice. My work experience includes 1 year as a medical receptionist and 3 years as a bank teller. I’ve also completed two summer internships with the department of probation and have excellent reference letters from them.

I’m interested in a career in the criminal justice/law field, but not a police officer or a corrections officer. I was gunning for a job as a probation agent, but it doesn’t look like they’ll have an opening around the time I graduate. I’ve been looking at legal assistant jobs, a prison administrative assistant opening, and a number of project coordinator positions at the Department of Social Services and the Department of Mental Health. I think I would be a good fit in any administrative position, but being your run-of-the-mill receptionist won’t cut it.

Question 1: I just started applying for jobs, but I’m told students should begin looking six months prior to graduation. However, my final transcript won’t be available to me until 30 days after graduation. If I’m applying for a job that requires a degree, won’t I have to wait until I have that proof?

Question 2: I’m looking to make at least $28K (preferably $30K) in my first job out of college. How can I avoid wasting my time applying for jobs that pay less, but don’t list a salary, without blatantly asking what the pay is?

Question 3: I am applying to jobs through sites like Career Builder, the state website, and the sites of individual companies I find via Google. I also found an employment agency that provides permanent administrative and legal positions to their clients. What else can I do?

Question 4: When applying at places like offices that have nothing to do with my internship, will I be looked at as if I don’t know what I want to do with my life, or will employers understand that I have many interests and don’t want to box myself into one type of job?

It’s strange looking for a career instead of a temporary job (which I’m actually very good at) and it’s frustrating because I want a job that requires (or at least prefers) a degree, but they all ask for 2–5 years of experience, which I don’t have. I don’t think of any job as “below” me, but I’d like my education to pay off a bit. It would be awful to make less right out of college than I did as a bank teller ($11/hr).

Any advice at all would be awesome.