There’s no doubt about it — it’s becoming increasingly difficult for many working mothers to advance in the traditional corporate workplace. This is especially true in corporate cultures where putting in long hours at the office and maintaining adequate “face time” is a norm. As a working mother, you’re faced with the conflicting demands of your employer’s needs and your family’s needs.

Despite this, there are some strategies you can take to position yourself for advancement:

1. Understand the needs of your boss and the company that employs you.

Sometimes the drive to get a promotion shifts your attention from your employer’s needs to yours. You want the title, responsibilities and the increase in pay, but do you know what your company and boss want? It’s important when presenting yourself for a promotion that you understand how the position you seek fits into the overall strategic objectives for your company. After all, many companies view employees as “human resources” and as such, they must quantify the value of those resources. Consider this: If you’re delivering stellar results in your current role, your boss may not want to move you into a more challenging position where he’ll have to pay you more AND potentially sacrifice the results you’ve been achieving in your present role. This is just one example, but the point is, you need to dig deeper to discover your employer’s needs. This way you’ll be able to handle any potential objections that may arise as your work your way up.

2. Recognize your motivation for wanting the promotion.

Why do you want a promotion? Of course, most people want to enjoy a natural progression of increased responsibility and compensation at work. But, what is driving your desire to move to the next step? Maybe you need more money or a higher level position offers greater flexibility and autonomy. Or maybe you want to create greater distance from your “negative ninny” co-workers. Regardless of your motivation, it’s important to recognize it and then put it in your back pocket. Without sounding too callous, your employer doesn’t care too much about your personal motivation. They want to know whether you can fulfill a need they have, and that need goes far beyond just filling a position with a warm body. Take time to understand the needs of your employer (a la step #1 above) because that’s where you’ll uncover the motivation your employer has to offer you a promotion. This all may sound very political…and career advancement can be in many workplaces.

3. Keep track of your success

Whether you work for a small business of less than 10 people or a conglomerate, chances are no one is paying attention to all the great things you do. This isn’t because they don’t care, because they do! The truth is, they are just as busy as you are and have just as many distractions from their personal life as you have. So, when it’s time to ask for a promotion you must be armed with your “brag book.” This is simply a portfolio (or file folder on your PC) that keeps track of results you have achieved for the business. The key here is results, both quantitative (i.e. money saved) and qualitative (i.e. customer satisfaction surveys). Your portfolio helps provide evidence of the track record of successful results you bring to the company, and position you for the next level in your career.

Working moms can advance in their careers. Yes, it will take some added effort to overcome some common beliefs about workings moms — not being fully committed to work, always taking time off, should be home raising kids, etc. — but with your understanding of your employer’s business needs, your needs and your accomplishments, the move from cubicle to corner office may be smoother than you think.