Is paying a sum of money to a human resources manager in exchange for employment at a company considered unlawful (haram)?

It is not permissible for a human resources officer to demand money in exchange for employment. If you are not qualified for the job, paying money is considered a forbidden bribe for both parties and the intermediary. However, if you are qualified for the job and the money was paid because the officer fraudulently prevented you [from getting it], then the sin is upon him, not upon you. This is because a bribe is what is given to establish falsehood or abolish truth. What is given to establish truth or abolish falsehood is not a bribe on the part of the giver, but rather it is a bribe on the part of the receiver.