How to hire an executive assistant in Dubai a step-by-step plan for employers

Step 1 and 2: define the scope and set the budget

Most weak hires start with a vague brief like help me with everything. Write down what the person will actually do in a typical week and which of those tasks only this person can do. Then set the budget from the market, not from a wish.

• List the tasks in three groups: calendar and travel, inbox and documents, and everything else (household, vendors, events, follow-ups with your team)
• Decide the level of access: your email, your calendar, your payments approvals, your documents. Higher access means higher trust and a higher salary
• Decide the working pattern: office, hybrid, at your home or business, evenings, weekends, travel with you
• Decide languages: English is the base; Arabic helps with government and local partners; Russian helps if you and your circle are Russian-speaking
• Budget orientation (market estimate, AED per month): executive assistant to an owner or director about 12,000 - 20,000; assistant to a C-level executive or a private family office about 20,000 - 30,000; a coordinator-level role lower. See our office staff salary guide for the full table
• Add the cost on top of salary: visa and Emirates ID, health insurance, gratuity provision, annual leave, equipment

Step 3: sourcing candidates

Good assistants are rarely unemployed for long, and many do not apply to public postings. Use several channels at once and keep the brief the same everywhere.

• Your own network: ask other owners and directors whose assistant is excellent; the best ones are often known by name
• Job boards and LinkedIn: fast to publish, but expect a high volume of unqualified applications that you have to filter
• A hiring consultancy: it searches and screens for you against criteria you agree at the start, so you only meet people who meet them
• Candidates from abroad: possible when the person is willing to relocate; the employer sponsors the visa, see our guide to hiring from abroad
• Whatever the channel, keep one written brief so every candidate hears the same scope and package

Step 4 and 5: shortlist and interview

A shortlist of three to five people is enough. More candidates slow the process and make the decision harder, not better.

• Screen the CV for stability and growth: tenure of two years or more, increasing responsibility, a named executive they supported
• First call of 20 minutes: availability, current package, notice period, visa status, motivation for leaving
• Main interview of 45 to 60 minutes with you or the person they will support. Use scenario questions, not just a list of strengths; our interview questions guide has a full question bank
• Ask for two references from people who managed them directly, and call them, see our guide to reference checks in the UAE
• Judge chemistry honestly: an assistant spends more working hours near you than almost anyone else on the team

Step 6: a practical skills assessment

Interviews show how a person talks. A short practical task shows how the person works. Give the same task to every finalist and compare the results.

• Email triage: 15 sample emails in your style of inbox, ask for a priority order and a short reply to the three most important ones
• Calendar conflict: three overlapping meetings and a flight, ask what the person would move, whom they would inform and how
• Confidentiality scenario: a colleague asks for your schedule or a document, ask how the person would respond
• Writing sample: a short message to a client or partner on your behalf
• Keep it to 30 to 45 minutes and tell the candidate in advance what it is. Do not use real confidential data

Step 7 and 8: the offer, the contract and probation

A clear written offer within a few days of the final interview keeps strong candidates from accepting someone else.

• Write basic salary, allowances, bonus rules, working hours, leave and notice as separate lines in the offer and the contract
• Agree the terms with the candidate yourself: you are the employer and you decide
• The person is employed directly by your company; the employer sponsors the visa and handles the Emirates ID and insurance steps
• Set a probation period in the contract and agree 30, 60 and 90 day goals in writing; see our guide to probation and notice in the UAE
• Plan the first week: access to systems, an introduction to your key contacts, your preferences for communication and approvals

How we help

TLNT is a hiring consultancy. For an assistant role we help you define the scope and the salary range as a market estimate, search for candidates, screen them against the criteria agreed at the start, run a practical skills assessment on real tasks, and prepare a shortlist. You interview, you make the hiring decision and you agree the terms with the candidate. We do not sign the contract for you and we do not decide for you; the person is employed directly by your company, the employer sponsors the visa and we give you a step-by-step checklist. Candidates never pay us.

Our fee is fixed for each role and agreed before the search starts. A 10% prepayment of the fee starts the search, the rest is due once the person has started work. If it does not work out, we find a replacement free of charge; the period is set in the contract. Consulting and CRM projects are priced after a free review.