Fairygodboss Of The Week Wendy Xu

Fairygodboss Of The Week Wendy Xu Wendy Xu, from Square, forged herbei own path outside of her familys expectations when she decided to pursue geschftliches miteinander over academia. Fortunately, her geschftliches miteinander career has allowed her to pursue one of her lifes passions - food. Her smart career advice Choosing a boss is just as important as choosing a job.Fairygodboss of the Week 25 Wendy XuHead of Operations, Caviar at SquareSan Francisco, CAFGB Tell us about your career. How did you get to where you are now? WX I studied biology in college and come from a science-focused family, so I initially thought Id be going into academia. Towards the end of college, I found myself more drawn to the business world, and accepted a consulting job with Bain. Consulting was a great training ground, but like many consultants, I wanted to move from advisor to operator after a few years. I first joined Googles hardware team and am now leading the operations team at Caviar, the food del ivery company that was acquired by Square. FGB What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?WX I am proud of our team at Caviar and what weve accomplished together. Food delivery is still a very nascent business, and there are so many operational challenges to overcome. Every day, we are solving new problems for our customers, restaurants, and couriers.FGB What is a challenge that youve faced and overcome?WX I went into the business world with minimal experience, academic training, and family background. When I told my parents that I wanted to go into consulting and not academia, I remember them telling me that there is very little they could do to help me. That didnt deter me, and thankfully I was able to build a career from scratch.Lightning RoundFGB What do you do when youre not working?WX I love to eat and travel Especially given my work, I spend an exorbitant amount of time thinking about food. To balance out all that food, my husband and I adopted a dog 2 years ago, so we l ove doing things outdoors with him. FGB If you could have dinner with one famous person - dead or alive - who would it be?WX Id want to eat something adventurous, so maybe Anthony Bourdain? Famous people seem like theyd have lots of dietary restrictions, which make for less fun dining companions )FGB What is your karaoke song?WX Im terrible at karaoke, but who doesnt love Journey?FGB What is your favorite movie?WX No one favorite movie, but I like dark comedies and animated movies as genres (somewhat counterintuitive, I know). FGB What book would you bring with you on a desert island?WX Some sort of fantasy series, maybe LOTR or Foundation. Theyd keep me occupied for a while, and heavy books could be used as a weapon in self-defense.FGB What is your shopping vice? What would you buy if you won the lottery?WX I dont really have a shopping vice, but the closest to it is food If I won the lottery, I would love to pay down my parents mortgage and allow them to retire comfortably. Depend ing on the size of the prize, I may even be able to afford a single family home in San Francisco.FGB Who is your Fairygodboss?WX Ive had several great managers / mentors over the years. The common thread across all of them is that they pushed my development, even when it was uncomfortable. Your greatest learnings and accomplishments will come when you are stretched outside of your core strengths.FGB What is the 1 career tip youd like to share? WX Work for people that are excited to invest in your development. Choosing a boss is just as important as choosing a job. I realized this early due to the nature of consulting, where you change bosses every few months.Fairygodboss is all about women helping other women - so each week, we celebrate a woman who made a difference in another womans career. Is there a woman who has made a difference in your career?Celebrate her and thank her by nominating her here.