AFTER four years in the car industry, Christina Ong found herself bypassed for promotion. To her, she did everything right: she has given it her all, her job role kept expanding, and her bosses were happy with her performance.

But for some reason, her career progression just hit a wall. She was about to throw in the towel when she had what she calls a "lightbulb moment".

She tells The Business Times Weekend: "I was looking in the mirror, and asking myself: If I were my boss, would I promote me? And the honest answer was no."