4 things to try on LinkedIn -

4 things to try on LinkedIn - You know you should be using LinkedIn to create your digital footprint â€" what people know about you online. You signed up and created a profile, but opportunities are not flooding in. Are you making  mistakes on LinkedIn  or missing something important? Here are four things you can do to use LinkedIn more effectively. 1. Jazz Up a Boring Headline The headline appears directly under your name in LinkedIn and shows up whenever your profile comes up in search. Does it say something that will make someone want to click through to learn more about you? If it is a job title, its not likely to be very compelling. Consider your headline an opportunity to pitch your unique value proposition â€" what is special about you â€" to anyone who comes across your profile. Include keywords that people will use when they search for someone like you as well as a promise of something you will do for them. For example: Leadership Development Management Consultant: Build effective work culture and accelerate employee performance. Be sure you choose words for your headline that people will type into the search bar when they are looking for someone like you. When you incorporate a promise or a pitch, youll be a step ahead of the competition. 2. Connect with Alumni LinkedIns most successful users engage and interact with colleagues and mine new contacts. One great tool is under the Network tab: Find Alumni. Click through and youll be able to find information about alumni of your schools. You can see where they work, what they do and where they live. Its a great opportunity to easily find and connect with people who share your alma mater. 3. See Whos Viewed Your Profile Under the Profile tab, scroll to Whos Viewed Your Profile. Even with a free account, you can see the last several people who clicked through to your profile. If they allow you to identify them (some people are anonymous), you can ask them to connect with you or reach out to offer to network with them. Keep an eye on this tab and you may wind up connecting with someone who can make a big difference in your career. 4. Choose Your Groups Maybe you joined some groups, but you arent actively involved. Or, perhaps youre trying to decide which groups to join so you can be  more productive? Did you know you can learn about groups before you join them, or check out some stats to decide if you should be active? Click into the group you want to investigate. Then, select the I (its on the right side of the toolbar in the Group). Youll see another toolbar pop up below with information about the group, including Group Statistics. You can learn what type of people are members, where they live and how active the group is based on discussions and jobs posted. Once you pick the right groups for you and  prioritize  the ones best suited to your needs, youll want to be active and post discussions and updates in your favorite groups. Also, be sure to request notifications from groups so youre aware when someone posted something youll want to see and be able to respond. 5. Add Rich Media I promised 4, but heres a bonus: add rich media to your profile. Its easy all you need to do is click on the blue box icon when you edit your profile, and you can upload a file or share a link to something about you online. See the screen shot below to get an idea of how it works. Keep in mind Once you have a firm handle on how to use LinkedIn, dont miss the opportunity to use other social media tools including  Twitter  and  Google+  to land a job. More advice: Questions you should always and never ask at an interview Nail the one question every interviewer asks 12 traits of valuable employees Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.