Finding the right person for the job is a challenge for any employer.

Ask any farmer who wears the human resources manager hat, conducts interviews, and hires and trains new employees. Sometimes the job isn’t the right one for the new worker, prompting this person to leave within months of hiring. The job search process can be frustrating for both employer and employee.

Agriculture is one business segment in Minnesota where there is concern about having enough labor to support it. A few years ago, a cross-section of Minnesota leaders from industry, government, education, philanthropy and community organizations formed a committee to identify solutions to the state’s labor force shortage. Through the process, one idea that gained traction, as well as state and nonprofit grant funding, was an online job bank. In August 2015, RealTime Talent was formed to explore and implement job-matching technology. The organization’s goals for 2017 include establishing itself as a public-private collaborative hub for job data collection and use.

The Minnesota AgriGrowth Council recently announced its partnership with RealTime Talent to launch the AgriGrowth Job Exchange. In a letter to membership, Perry Aasness, executive director of the Minnesota AgriGrowth Council, said the job exchange’s “cutting-edge matching technology will transform the candidate recruitment process and streamline how employers and candidates connect with each other during the job/internship search process.”

For the online job exchange to work, both employers and job seekers must fill out job-specific questionnaires that include specifics such as workplace environment, interests and preferences. Using a web-based talent matching tool called WorkFountain, the job exchange then matches job seekers and employers. These matches are emailed to both parties for each to review.

The job exchange offered through AgriGrowth is free and open to all job seekers. Employers will be charged for the service.

AgriGrowth members are encouraged to help expand and support the exchange by promoting it and posting jobs. Members are currently offered a job promotion when using the exchange site. If a member posts one job by April 15, it will receive two free job postings to be used by July 15. Employers are guaranteed a match or they receive their money back.

Learn more about the AgriGrowth Job Exchange at agrigrowth.org/job-exchange.