Skills for Change | Humans of Skills for Change: Alyssa Guida

Meet Alyssa Guida from Human Resources

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Alyssa Guida and it is pronounced uh-LIH-suh gwee-dah. People always tell me I have a bubbly personality and that stems from my family. My family is from Italy but I was born here in Canada. We are classic Italians which means we are loud and everything we do is somehow connected to food.

How did you first learn about Skills for Change?

I was searching for a Human Resource position and I stumbled upon SfC’s summer student program. After researching more about what SfC was I was intrigued. I wish I had known about an agency like this sooner. I was fortunate enough to receive an opportunity to become a summer student at SfC as their HR Assistant.

What do you do at Skills for Change?

I currently hold the position of HR Assistant. After my summer student position ended, I applied for the full time HR Assistant role.

Can you share what a typical day at work looks like for you?

It was very early into my time at SfC that I learned each day is going to be a different one. In my experience, there is no “typical” day in HR which is why it is important for me to have a checklist of my tasks. My supervisor and I have daily huddles to ensure that we are tackling our priorities for the day.

How has that changed since we started working remotely last month?

Remote working has been quite the adjustment for me. Since we are a smaller team, we are able to still have our daily huddles and check ins but now it is done through phone calls or zoom calls. I miss having the extra support of our volunteers and placement students.

What’s been your favourite project at Skills for Change?

Balance for Better! Our wellness initiative that we have for our team. The staff at SfC work extremely hard to support our clients and many of them do not take the time for themselves. Planning the events or initiatives is great and seeing everyone’s contributions warms my heart.

What is the favourite part about working for Skills for Change?

I have said this before and it is the people. I can only speak from personal experience but I have received such incredible support for the SfC team. If I was ever unsure of what to do or who to ask, there were multiple people available to help me. Even in my moments of self-doubt, people were there to motivate me. Whenever I made a mistake, I was able to fix it or learn from it and no one ever made me feel bad about that.

What advice do you have for prospective Skills for Change candidates?

Be yourself. As redundant as it may sound, it’s important to let your light shine through to the recruitment team. It helps us get a better understanding of who you are and how you fit within the agency. It is also beneficial as the candidate to not falsify information because that sets expectations to the employer that you will have to live upto.

Any random facts you could share with us?

I am not sure how random this is but I grew up on a farm. I remember looking out my bedroom window and see sheep and goats in my yard. We also had chickens, turkeys, rabbits, dogs and cats.

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far?

When I first starting working at SfC, I had a difficult time separating my work from my personal life. I had to constantly remind myself that tomorrow is a new day and whatever is not able to get done today, can be done tomorrow.
I have learned how to distinguish the difference between taking the initiative and being impulsive or impatient.
I learned that I personally like to know the reasoning behind why something is happening. It helps me process the work I am doing in a more diligent and meaningful way.

Thank you Alyssa!