PurposeThis paper aims to examine whether companies in Indonesian controversial industries can rely on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices to improve potential employees' job pursuit intention, which lead to a higher quality of work life (QWL) and a better performance from their employees.Design/methodology/approachThe target respondents are interns, staff and supervisors of 42 Indonesian listed companies in controversial industries. The data collection method is performed by distributing questionnaires using a seven-point Likert scale. Collected data using partial least squares (PLS) analysis are conducted and tested.FindingsConsistent with the existing result, the authors find out that potential employees have a higher intention to join and accept a job offer from companies with a higher level of CSR practices. Regarding the corporate social responsibility, it is further proven to have a positive effect on employee's quality of work life. More interestingly, the findings of the current study reveal that CSR also affects employee performance (EP), both directly and indirectly, through QWL.Research limitations/implicationsFindings demonstrate that CSR in Indonesian controversial industry represents an important factor for recruiting top employees that lead to the improvement of the employee's quality of work life and performance.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that enterprises should be more concerned about CSR engagement in attracting new talents, enhancing the quality of work life and cultivating the employee's performance.Originality/valueThis study enhances previous supports and studies on the concept of CSR and human resource management by analyzing the relationship between CSR and employee performance. Previous researches have concentrated their objectives in finding the link between CSR and the financial performance of a company. However, it must be understood that a company's success actually hinges on the performance of one of their greatest assets, the human resources. Additionally, due to the change in generations that will be the job seekers, recruitment strategy to attract job applicants and improve the job pursuit intention (JPI) is now needed more than ever. One of the strategies that Indonesian companies can use to do so is by practicing CSR. Hence, this is the first study in an attempt to observe the overall relationship of the CSR with the job pursuit intention, QWL and EP, especially in the controversial industries. The study will drive companies to intensify their efforts in maintaining good employee performance.