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Businesses hiring entry-level workers have traditionally looked for team players who are willing to put in long hours and subjugate personal desires for the good of the company. But today’s young adult job hunters are more concerned with having their own needs met than being willing to do anything to get a job.

A survey of recent college graduates in my career seminar course shows that these potential employees want the three R’s: “respect,” “recognition” and “reputation.” They rank personal pride in their work higher than good health, family or money. Don’t give them anything that involves floor-sweeping or data entry – they want a title, creativity and lots of praise.

The word most often used by young adults when describing the type of job they want is “fun.” They have a difficult time understanding why 19-year-old Casey’s General Store clerk Tierney Israel was fired after creating pizza-making videos for YouTube, which included a scene of an employee waving a knife at a fake customer. She defended herself by saying, “I like to have fun. Who doesn’t, you know, like to have fun at work?”

Her attitude reflects my survey results that new graduates want “flexibility” and “independence” in the workplace. They want to be able to use company time to text, check Facebook and even make private videos. Their rationale is that as long as they get the job done, it shouldn’t make any difference how they spend their time at the office. But they show little concern about the quality of their work and object to being held to rules or deadlines.

Another priority on their values list is honesty from co-workers. The irony is that most don’t want honest feedback if a supervisor feels their work is mediocre, and they reject anything perceived as criticism. The fired Casey’s employee went back on YouTube to claim she had been treated “unfairly,” adding: “I really hope it doesn’t affect any future jobs.”

Because these young people grew up being constantly praised, they often have unrealistic views of themselves. One senior who claimed her best trait is her “work ethic” barely passed her courses because she failed to turn in projects. Another chronically absent student claimed her best quality is being “well organized.” A 26-year-old graduate listed “personal pride” as his top work value but admits he isn’t motivated to look for a job, because he lives with his highly paid executive parents.

The entitlement generation claims to have strengths that include greater concern for the welfare of others and a willingness to volunteer. But how that translates into the business world is that new employees expect everyone to be given the same rewards no matter how little work they did and want to be given paid time off in the middle of the workday to help friends in crisis.

Businesses like Casey’s have to decide whether they will adapt in order to attract these self-focused employees or will accept the negative Internet buzz that comes from upholding traditional workplace standards.

Stephen Winzenburg is a communication professor at Grand View University who has worked in the broadcasting business for 38 years.