Check in regularly with managers to position yourself for success, writes Eileen Hoenigman Meyer. Work with them to set goals for personal growth and for improving your contributions to the company.

Start each day with your most challenging or important task, suggests career strategist Adunola Adeshola. Push yourself by creating a comprehensive task list that "seems impossible to finish," says Airlink Marketing founder Arianna O'Dell.

Preparation and curiosity are two valuable traits for people looking to build their careers, writes Alaina Love. "The only certainty is that [your career] won't follow that plan -- and if you stay open-minded it'll take you somewhere far more interesting!" says Marc Howells, an HR executive at AstraZeneca.

Despite unemployment hitting a 17-year low, six million jobs remain unfilled across the US. Employers are blaming the opioid epidemic, skills shortages and the federal crackdown on immigration for contributing to labor shortages and waning workforce participation heading into 2018.

Don't put people you haven't contacted in years on your reference list when looking for a new job, writes Caris Thetford. In addition, try not to include people you don't know well or never actually worked with as references.

A family was forced to cut their boating trip short near South Australia's Port Victoria last week as a 16-foot great white shark began circling their boat. Although the shark did not appear to be aggressive, it circled their 19-foot boat for 20 minutes before the family decided to head back for shore.