At last, you have made the tough decision: it's time for a new job. The first thing to do is find some executive recruiters. But do you understand what makes recruiters tick? Here’s what you need to know:

The right recruiter. Contingency firms get paid only when a candidate they found gets hired by a client. Retained firms are hired on retainer to identify candidates, thoroughly learn about them, and present a short list to be interviewed. The lower the salary allocated for a slot, the less likely retained recruiters are to take on that search.

 E-greetings. To make initial contact with a recruiter, send an E-mail. “It’s interactive — I can just hit 'reply' to get back to you,” says Lorraine Hack, a U.S. partner in the financial-officer practice at Heidrick & Struggles.

 It’s a rat race. “If you call a recruiter and they don't call back, it isn’t necessarily because they have a bad feeling about you — it’s that they’re overwhelmed,” says I.H. Clothier, managing partner of HFC Executive Search. On the other hand, recruiters take a dim view of you not returning their calls.

 It’s a cold world. Cold-calling is not likely to land you a job in the short term because headhunters generally do very specific searches. Even if you get through to the recruiter and ask what searches are in progress, finding a match is a long shot.

 Heavy hitters. Don’t assume that a recruiter is a lightweight go-between that you cursorily pass by on your way to the real interview. If you don’t ace your interview with the recruiter, you will never get to see the actual employer.

 Back-scratching. Among the best ways to build a relationship with recruiters is to help them succeed. If one calls you about a job that is not right for you, make every effort to refer him or her to someone else who might be more appropriate.

 A wide net. There are professional conferences, finance-industry events, and networking organizations where you can rub elbows with recruiters. “Those are great opportunities for getting to know somebody face-to-face in a 10-minute conversation,” says Clothier.

 The ship is already sinking. Don’t wait until you are in trouble or transition to start calling recruiters. “It’s extremely unfortunate that so many people don't network or do it too late,” says Chuck Eldridge, managing director of the U.S. financial-officers practice at Korn/Ferry International.