“Shrekking” is the latest viral term to describe dating someone you’re not really attracted to in the hopes they will treat you well in return. (After all, it worked out for Princess Fiona.) But then, plot twist: The person beneath your standards still ends up breaking your heart. In other words? All ogre, no princess treatment.

“Shrekking”是近期在网络上爆红的一个新词，它指的是与一个你并没有真正好感的人约会，希望能以此换来对方的善待。（毕竟，对菲奥娜公主来说，这招奏效了。）然而，剧情却发生了反转：那个你觉得“配不上”自己的人，最终还是让你伤心不已。换句话说？你妥协了，却只得到了（像）怪物（一样不尽如人意）的结局，而没有获得公主般的待遇。

Applying for jobs often feels like dating—so might a similar trend exist in people’s professional lives?

找工作常常感觉就像谈恋爱一样——那么，类似的情况是否也存在于人们的职业生活中呢？

Well, just like some give up on finding their dream man, workers also sometimes stop chasing their dream job (if such a thing ever really existed). Instead, they sometimes pursue more drab, “boring” jobs that they feel are less flashy or impressive, or perhaps beneath them in some way, in the hopes of a trade-off: maybe better pay, better benefits, more stability. That could especially be the case as workers continue to weather a tough job market.

就像有些人放弃寻找理想伴侣一样，职场人有时也会停止追求他们的理想工作（如果这种东西真的存在过的话）。相反，他们有时会选择那些更乏味、“无聊”的工作，他们觉得这些工作不那么光鲜亮丽或令人印象深刻，甚至在某种程度上“屈就”了自己，以期换取回报：比如更好的薪水、更优厚的福利或者更高的稳定性。尤其是在职场人持续应对艰难就业市场的时候，这种情况可能更为普遍。

Since January 2024, global entry-level job postings have fallen by 29%. So jaded are today’s job seekers—thanks to dwindling opportunities and the overriding sense of despair that comes with receiving rejection after rejection—that many are pursuing jobs they may not even want. In fact, according to World Economic Forum data, almost half say that their current role is not even on the path to their dream career.

自2024年1月以来，全球初级职位（入门级工作）发布量下降了29%。如今的求职者心灰意冷——这要归咎于机会日渐减少以及一次又一次收到拒绝所带来的压倒性绝望感——以至于许多人都在追求他们甚至可能不想要的工作。事实上，根据世界经济论坛的数据，几乎一半的求职者表示他们目前的工作甚至没有朝着他们理想的职业发展。

Gen Zers in particular have a lack of interest in sexy job titles and added responsibilities for no extra pay, opting instead for low-stress careers and saving their real passions and ambitions for off the clock. Why risk heartbreak with the charming prince when you can get an ogre who treats you right?

Z世代的年轻人尤其对那些光鲜亮丽的职位头衔和不加薪的额外责任缺乏兴趣。相反，他们选择压力较小的工作，并将自己真正的热情和抱负留到下班后去实现。这好比是：何必为了一个可能让你心碎的“白马王子”去冒险，而放弃一个虽然没那么光鲜亮丽但却能好好待你的“怪物”呢？

So just as the dating trenches have singles “shrekking” in hopes of getting the princess treatment, so too are job seekers settling for roles they may previously have viewed as beneath them. According to an analysis of census data by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 41.2% of graduates in their early to mid-20s were underemployed in March, working in roles that generally don’t require a bachelor’s degree. That’s up from 38.9% in December.

因此，正如在感情世界里，单身人士为了获得“公主般的待遇”而选择“史莱克式约会”一样，求职者也正在接受那些他们可能曾认为“屈就”的职位。根据纽约联邦储备银行对人口普查数据的分析显示，3月份，41.2%的20岁出头到25岁左右的毕业生处于“大材小用”的状态，从事着通常不需要学士学位的职位。这一比例高于去年12月的38.9%。

And when they’re landing the job, they’re not letting go. Across the board, employees are being encouraged to cling to jobs if they have them, regardless of whether the work is something they particularly enjoy. Even if they think they can do better, the odds are more in their favor to stay put for the time being rather than risk putting themselves out there and being rejected, or remaining unemployed for longer.

找到工作后，人们也不会轻易放手。总体而言，员工们都被鼓励紧紧抓住手头的工作，无论这份工作是否是他们特别喜欢的。即使他们认为自己可以找到更好的，目前情况下，待在现有岗位对他们来说更有利，而不是冒险出去闯荡结果被拒，或者长期失业。

But remember: A key facet of the shrekking trend when it comes to dating involves getting with the ogre who is below your league, yet the ogre ends up treating you badly anyway.

但是请记住：在约会中，“怪物史莱克式恋爱”（shrekking）这种趋势的一个关键方面是，你选择了一个低于你择偶标准的“怪物”，但即便如此，这个“怪物”最终还是对你很差劲。

While it may seem like the safer option, shrekking can also backfire if workers assume that by settling for a job they don’t particularly like, they’ll be treated better. That’s not necessarily going to be the case.

“史莱克式就业”这个选择虽然看似更稳妥，但如果员工以为接受一份自己不太喜欢的工作就能得到更好的待遇，那么这种做法也可能会适得其反。事实并非总是如此。

Gen Z, the same age group who’s willing to “date down” with jobs that are boring but may treat them right, is often first in the firing line—a rude awakening for workers who might be implementing a shrekking-adjacent strategy for their careers.

Z世代，作为那些愿意“屈就”于枯燥但可能善待他们的工作的人群，却常常首当其冲面临困境——这对于那些可能在职业生涯中采取类似“史莱克式”（Shrekking）策略的打工人来说，无疑是一个残酷的警醒。

And while a work version of shrekking may not end in getting “dumped,” it can lead to heartbreak in its own right. If you took a job that’s “beneath you,” it may lead to feeling overqualified and bored, or to a cousin of burnout called “rust-out,” in which you feel underutilized and as if your skills are rusting and atrophying in real time. All of this can be bad for your productivity, not to mention your mental health. Feeling like you’re being treated badly by a job beneath your standards can backfire big time.

职场版的“史莱克式委屈求全”（shrekking）也许不会导致你被“甩”，但它本身也会带来一种心碎的感觉。如果你接受了一份你觉得“大材小用”的工作，这可能会让你感到怀才不遇、索然无味，甚至导致一种被称为“生锈倦怠”（rust-out）的“倦怠”（burnout）近亲现象，在这种状态下，你会觉得自己未被充分利用，技能正在实时地“生锈”和萎缩。所有这些都可能对你的工作效率产生负面影响，更不用说对你的心理健康了。感觉自己被一份低于你标准的工作“虐待”，可能会带来巨大的反作用。

So if you have gotten shrekked, don’t give up on your chances of ever finding happiness and fulfillment in a job. Instead, see it as an opportunity to get even clearer on your non-negotiables and career goals. Regardless of what the market looks like, honing that kind of insight can help you apply for jobs that are aligned with your values.

所以，如果你已经遭遇了“史莱克式”的职业选择（指为了求稳而屈就于一份不那么理想的工作），请不要放弃在工作中找到幸福和成就感的机会。相反，把它看作一个让你更清楚自己的底线（即不可妥协的条件）和职业目标的机遇。无论市场状况如何，磨练出这种洞察力都能帮助你申请到与你价值观相符的工作。

After all, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

毕竟，真正重要的是内在的价值。