Though it might often seem that the doors to advancement in the workplace are locked shut for women of color, women like Ursula Burns, president of Xerox Corporation, and Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, are proof that they can be opened—you just need to find the right keys.  And though there are many ways to get ahead in the workplace, multicultural women in positions of power often mention three keys in particular—having a mentor, networking and self promotion—that they've used to open those doors. Catalyst, a research organization working to advance women in business, recently tracked 368 women of color in managerial positions and found that in a three year period, 57 percent were promoted and their overall income rose 37 percent. The study, "Women of Color in Corporate Management: Three Years Later," showed that those who advanced said that building networks and having a mentor helped them climb the corporate ladder.  "Mentorship is critical to advancement," said Sheila Wellington, who was president of Catalyst in 2003, when the study findings were released. "We found that the more mentors a woman has, the faster she moves up the corporate ladder."It seems simple enough to say "find a mentor" or "promote yourself," but for many women, particularly women of color, doing these things goes against their nature as their instinct is often to try to be as inconspicuous as possible. But, rather than seeing race and gender as a hindrance, Sue Hodgkinson, author of The Leader's Edge: Using Personal Branding to Drive Performance, says you should use these differences to your advantage:  "If you're outside of the core power structure, I say great! Being the only or one or the few of a certain race means everyone is going to notice you, so run with it!" We asked Hodgkinson and other experts to share their tips to help you to build a better network, find a mentor, and properly promote yourself.  Interestingly enough, in all three cases, the method is less about reaching out and asking for help, and more about simply being yourself.Find a MentorMany women of color have particular difficulty finding a mentor, despite the fact that Working Mother surveys show that companies with the most successful diversity programs also have formal mentoring programs for their women of color employees. Results from polls done at Working Mother Town Halls and Conferences for women of color reveal that only 25 percent have a formal mentor; at the Town Halls, 38 percent of attendees rated the lack of mentors and sponsors as the number one "most serious problem related to race and gender in my work culture." Asian American women felt particularly concerned about the lack of available mentoring programs, and 54 percent cited this as their greatest concern over other workplace issues.One way to get around the trepidation that often comes with asking someone to formally be your mentor is to connect with them socially first. Robin Denise Johnson, Ph.D., faculty member in the multicultural Leadership Suite at the UCLA Anderson School of Business, recommends approaching people based on shared interests.  "One of the best ways to find mentors is to be out there doing something you care about. Then you meet someone, and there's a more natural exchange," she says. Once you meet your possible mentor, send him or her a personal note that mentions an interest that they may have discussed.  "Sending that note says, 'I met you, I listened and I want to stay in contact,' and that will get you further than starting by asking that person to do something for you," says Dr. Johnson.Hodgkinson suggests that women of color select a mentor that they might not automatically think to ask, like a white male executive. "Some of the assumptions that we hold about a lack of support in the workplace aren't true," she says. "People are willing to help, and if we only ask the people we're most comfortable with, we're limiting ourselves in terms of what we get back." If you're nervous about going straight to the person you'd like to be your mentor, look at the degrees of separation between you two and reach out to someone closer to you, with the ultimate aim of reaching your mentor. Regardless of whom you chose to be your mentor, remember that the mentor-mentee relationship should be mutually beneficial. "Your approach should be 'I'm looking for these things from you, what do you need from me and how can I make this a good use of your time?"' says Hodgkinson. "Listen and honor that. And remember, you have an obligation to make your mentor look good, as their brand is at stake too."  Build a NetworkMany women make the mistake of taking the safest route possible when networking.  A recent Catalyst study found that women of color tend to reach out to other women, often of the same race. While Asian women are likely to network with whites and men, Latinas, and African American women in particular, tend to stick to their own. Study results showed that Asian women had the highest number of whites and men in their networks. Latinas had a high number of whites in their networks, but on average, more than 50 percent of their networks were female. African American women had the highest number of other African Americans in their networks, and also the highest concentration of women of their ethnic group.  As with finding a mentor, the key to successful networking is to break out of that comfort zone: "We often want to network with people who are most like us, but for networking to be most effective, it's important to create networks with people who are quite diverse in terms of gender and ethnicity, especially in this global marketplace," says Vanessa J. Weaver, Ph.D. President and CEO of Alignment Strategies, Inc.People often make the assumption that networking means attending industry events or exchanging business cards, but these superficial strategies are rarely fruitful. According to Dr. Weaver, good networkers build relationships by being their authentic selves rather than putting on a fake business persona. "The way women of color survive in the workplace is often by keeping our real selves in the background," says Dr. Weaver, "but most people won't respond to you without knowing about your personal brand and what you stand for."When you meet someone you're interested in networking with, experts suggest setting up an initial one-on-one meeting to simply get to know that person and to give them an opportunity to learn more about you. Then, you can move on to finding ways to build a relationship. "You need to remember that this should be a reciprocal relationship, and you should thank the people in your network for their time and assistance," says Dr. Johnson. "Also, remember to build an actual network—don't expect one person to be everything." Promote Yourself!Self promotion is critical in the workplace, because while hard work is obviously important, your efforts will have little long term effect if no one knows and acknowledges what you've done. The problem is that while men usually have no difficulty talking about themselves, women are socialized differently: "Women generally don't like to brag, because it's considered unfeminine, and as a result we're often reluctant to promote ourselves," says Dr. Johnson.  But self-promotion does not necessarily have to mean bragging. Rather than simply talking up your accomplishments, Dr. Johnson says that you should focus on the contributions you have made to the business through the intentional use of your skills. "Put together a two minute statement that outlines who you are and what skills you've used to help the bottom line," says Dr. Johnson. You should practice that pitch so that you can readily tell people about what you bring to the table.Asian American women in particular are often reluctant to bring attention to themselves, because it is considered culturally improper. Rather than fighting what Dr. Weaver calls your "cultural DNA," she says, "Figure out how you can promote yourself in a way that still maintains your cultural integrity but that increases your exposure." Dr. Weaver spoke of a Japanese client who considered it almost taboo to promote herself.  The women was, however, able to position people to do the promoting for her by building relationships with those who knew her work and were happy to tout her achievements. Whatever your method, the goal should be to have people learn more about you and what you have accomplished. Set up lunch dates with colleagues and speak up in meetings so that people get to know who you are. If you're shy or reluctant to speak in public, this might be difficult at first, but here again, experts say that you will be most successful if you can toss caution aside. "Don't be afraid to share your point of view," says Hodgkinson, "to push into even those places where you don't feel naturally invited."