The manufacturing industry is one of the biggest, most dynamic industries in the world. It comprises any business that creates products from raw material. These products are produced by talented craftsman with cutting-edge equipment, including lasers, robots, 3-D printers, AI software and more. The results of their work can be seen in everything from airplanes and trains to smartphones, medical devices and wind turbines.

Job opportunities in the manufacturing industry are wide ranging and offer stable, good-paying careers. Additionally, the manufacturing industry is often the first to embrace cutting-edge technologies, which makes the work exciting and mentally stimulating.

There is something for everyone in the manufacturing industry. There is a need for the people that make the products the industry produces – designers, engineers, welders, machine operators and assemblers. There is also a need for the people that support them – team leaders, marketers, accountants, human resource professionals and sales associates. If you have a specific talent, the manufacturing industry most likely could benefit from your skills.

Manufacturing professionals, on average, make $35,000 each year. Salaries for experienced staff or for those with specialized skills, however, can range as high as six figures.

Job opportunities can be found in nearly every corner of the United States – in smaller family-owned businesses that serve as contract fabricators and in large manufacturing operations like Ford, Whirlpool and Boeing.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women make up nearly one-third of the manufacturing industry workforce in the United States. Women hold a variety of jobs in manufacturing from working on the factory floor to heading-up their own manufacturing companies.

Some manufacturing jobs require no experience or come with on-the-job training. Other manufacturing jobs require specific college degrees, certifications or experience. Each abbe.com listing provides preferred qualifications or the amount of previous experience or education required.

The No. 1 thing that job candidates can do to make themselves more attractive to employers is to present a clean and thorough resume. Make sure to highlight job responsibilities, but don’t forget to include specific accomplishments, as well. Including keywords that pertain to the desired job in a resume can be helpful as many hiring firms will search resume documents to speed up the vetting process.

The manufacturing industry employs a wide array of skill types. Whatever the specific talent, there is most likely a position available that’s good-paying, stable and rewarding.

In the digital era, more and more candidates are submitting videos along with their resumes to demonstrate the specific skills they may have, such as welding. Although videos do not have to be professionally produced, make sure that videos are shot in a well-lit setting.