Choice Architecture and the Potential to Nudge Career Development at Scale

Choice architecture refers to features of the psychological, social, and physical environment that can affect the process and outcome of human decisions. With roots in cognitive psychology and behavioral economics, it has become a fertile topic of inquiry in a wide range of behavioral domains. Thaler and Sunstein (2008) popularized choice architecture and its concept of nudges, which are small environmental adjustments that can facilitate behavioral choices without limiting personal autonomy. Nudge interventions have been studied intensely in relation to health, financial, ecological, and consumer outcomes. In this article, I consider how the strategic use of digital nudges might be used in career interventions, particularly in the context of a proactive, large-scale service delivery model. After overviewing the efficacy of nudge interventions in other literatures (e.g., educational decision-making), I suggest an agenda for designing and testing career development nudges. Though they often yield modest effect sizes, nudges may have potential as a cost-effective addition to the career intervention repertoire, providing both a means of assisting those who have been underserved by traditional career services and an outreach bridge between technology- and counselor-based interventions.