Authored by Phil Cohen
For the past eight years, Factor Finders LLC has provided on-site summer internships for second- and third-year college students. This year, things are a little different. With the impact of COVID-19, many graduation ceremonies and internship programs for students have been postponed or canceled. However, instead of canceling the internships for three students Factor Factors is augmenting on-site employment environments with flexible virtual environments.
The Factor Finders Commitment
Factor Finders carefully monitors guidance from the State of Ohio and the Federal Government with respect to best practices and safety. Given the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, guidance is constantly evolving. This year’s program will consist of a digital marketing intern and two website analyst interns. These candidates were hand-picked after conducting virtual interviews at the beginning of the year just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact America and the rest of the world.
President of Factor Finders, Phil Cohen reflects that while other companies have had to eliminate their programs, it is Factor Finder’s pleasure to be able to offer college students the opportunity to learn and contribute to a rapidly growing business. “Having welcomed students from the Hillel program for many years, I am excited to continue to participate in that program as well as participate in the Hawken School program for the second year.”
All across America, the Coronavirus has disrupted the normal internship model. This has forced many companies to confront the hard choice of going virtual, delaying internships or canceling them altogether. Research conducted by Glassdoor concludes one in two internship openings have been closed since the coronavirus crisis began in the U.S. Factor Finders remains committed to providing an opportunity for students to gain valuable experience.
“Factor Finders is well-positioned financially and continues to have the resources to assist small businesses in identifying the best accounts receivable factoring solution,” Cohen says.
Based in Beachwood, Ohio, Factor Finders is a B2B factoring broker that matches business owners with the best factoring solution for their unique needs. Factor Finders understands the needs of small businesses and uses that expertise to identify the optimal funding source for clients. Factor Finders operates under the websites factorfinders.com and ezinvoicefactoring.com.
When the mandatory business shutdown began for Ohio in March, Factor Finders temporarily shifted operations to a “work at home” model like many businesses. The summer internship program which began June 1st and runs until early August will remain flexible and may require interns to work remotely as needed.
“Factor Finders’ internship program has truly been a mutually beneficial endeavor. Our interns are expected to add meaningful value to the business and overwhelmingly they have done so,” says Cohen.
The Factor Finders Experience
Despite the lack of face-to-face interactions and the traditional welcome lunch outing, the pandemic will not hinder the opportunity for students to gain knowledge and develop new skills. Together, Factor Finders’ marketing team has developed a full plan for interns. Throughout the program, the interns will be assigned various tasks as well as a more in-depth project. These projects will focus on aspects of digital marketing including content development, search engine optimization and keyword performance analysis.
Factor Finders is confident in the firm’s ability to provide a rewarding experience for its interns while benefiting from valuable contributions each will make. The team will utilize tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams Messenger to professionally train, manage and ensure interns are working diligently. Factor Finders will conduct daily check-ins and multiple weekly meetings with interns. Each student is assigned an individual team member to report to on a daily basis.
Where required, working virtually still requires students to take the initiative to pose questions and to seek guidance and feedback just as if their employment experience would be completely held on-site at the company offices.
Internships give students a hands-on learning experience beyond the classroom. In fact, many college programs list internships as a graduation requirement.
While the internship program may be different this year, the goals are still the same. Outside of project deliverables, Factor Finders’ goal is to ensure students emerge from the program with knowledge and applicable skills.
“Insights from intern’s work has identified opportunities that continue to contribute to our bottom line,” Cohen adds. “I personally look forward to welcoming our interns next week and look forward to the impact they will have on our business.”