Scientificrecruitment software

Talisman is recruitment software for scientific agencies: one record for scientists and laboratories, professional and academic qualifications confirmed before a placement, and approved hours running into PAYE for fixed-term cover, with umbrella and limited for contract scientists.

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Pick your desk

Six ways a scientific agency places people. One record under all of them.

Temp
Temp scientific recruitment
Shifts and cover, booked on the call and paid weekly.
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Permanent
Permanent scientific recruitment
Vacancy to placement fee on one job record.
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Contract
Contract scientific recruitment
Rates, status, extensions and self-bill.
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Shift
Shift scientific recruitment
Rota patterns, bulk shifts and break rules.
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Executive Search
Executive Search scientific recruitment
Retained assignments, from market map to offer.
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Multi-Desk
Multi-Desk scientific recruitment
Perm, temp and contract on one shared record.
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Which desk is which

What each desk runs, and what it checks first.

Desk	What it runs	Checked before a placement	Pay and bill
Temp	Shifts and cover, booked on the call and paid weekly	Professional and academic qualifications and AWR position, at the point of booking	Weekly, from approved timesheets, with the client invoiced in the same run
Permanent	Vacancy to placement fee on one job record	Professional and academic qualifications and references, before the offer goes out	Placement fee on the placement, with the start date and rebate period attached
Contract	Rates, status, extensions and self-bill	Professional and academic qualifications, plus contract status and IR35 position on the placement	Self-bill from approved hours; umbrella and limited arrangements
Shift	Rota patterns, bulk shifts and break rules	Professional and academic qualifications, plus fatigue and break rules across the rota	Weekly pay queue built from the hours actually worked once approved
Executive Search	Retained assignments, from market map to offer	Professional and academic qualifications at shortlist, with the assignment's confidentiality settings	Retainer milestones tracked against the assignment, then the placement fee
Multi-Desk	Perm, temp and contract on one shared record	Professional and academic qualifications once, on the record every desk shares	PAYE for fixed-term cover, with umbrella and limited for contract scientists

Checks and clearances

Qualified and inducted before the placement

Qualifications and laboratory inductions sit on the worker record with expiry alerts, and are confirmed before anyone is committed.

How documents and expiry work

Professional and academic qualifications with expiry alerts
Laboratory inductions recorded against the placement
Right-to-work documents with expiry alerts
References confirmed on the worker record

What the agents add

AI agents working on the scientific desk in the background.

Sourcing Sam
Works the day's open bookings and matches scientists across every desk.
Compliance Clara
Flags professional and academic qualifications coming up for expiry.
Timesheet Tommy
Reads submitted timesheets and preps PAYE for fixed-term cover, with umbrella and limited for contract scientists for review.
Growth Grace
Surfaces new laboratory leads worth a call.
Manager Max
Briefs the desk each morning on fill-rate by laboratory.

Meet the agents

Free guide · PDF

The AI Agents Guide for Scientific Recruitment

Where agents help on a scientific desk, and where they should not
Keeping professional and academic qualifications current without chasing
Pay and bill: PAYE for fixed-term cover, with umbrella and limited for contract scientists

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Questions

Scientific recruitment software questions.

Which scientific desk type do I need?

Pick the desk that matches how you place scientists: Temp — shifts and cover, booked on the call and paid weekly; Permanent — vacancy to placement fee on one job record; Contract — rates, status, extensions and self-bill; Shift — rota patterns, bulk shifts and break rules; Executive Search — retained assignments, from market map to offer; Multi-Desk — perm, temp and contract on one shared record. All six run on the same record, so an agency can start with one and add another without a second system.

What checks does a scientific placement need?

Qualifications and laboratory inductions sit on the worker record with expiry alerts, and are confirmed before anyone is committed. The desk holds professional and academic qualifications with expiry alerts, laboratory inductions recorded against the placement, right-to-work documents with expiry alerts, references confirmed on the worker record.

Can one system run all our scientific desks?

Yes. Temp, perm, contract, shift and executive placements sit on one shared record, so a scientist the temp desk has booked is the same candidate the perm desk puts forward, with nothing re-keyed.

How is pay handled for scientific scientists?

PAYE for fixed-term cover, with umbrella and limited for contract scientists, run from the hours approved on the timesheet, with the laboratory invoiced in the same straight-through run.