If you thought a career in public finance administration might be a touch dull ... you may be right.

The federal Department of Finance is spending nearly $40,000 on a marketing campaign to attract new recruits - but its video advertisement been slammed as cringeworthy, atrocious and one of the worst examples of the genre ever seen in Australia.

The ad stars a number of real-life department staff who interact in awkwardly-scripted and woodenly-acted scenes that are meant to illustrate the exciting nature of life in the public service.

"I'm so stoked for our presentation to the executives this afternoon," one staffer offers at the beginning of the three-minute video.