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.

A young woman, Claire, arrives: "Hey guys, I'm just heading downstairs for my paleo pear and banana bread. Would you like to join me?"

"No thanks, it's a little bit fancy for me," an older woman responds. "I'm actually off to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff network meeting."

"Okay, see you."

In another scene, deputy secretary David Fredericks is seen to buy a coffee for first assistant secretary Rina Bruinsma, before this exchange:

"Hey, this year's grads are real game-changers. I've heard some fantastic reports about their work," Mr Fredericks says.

"They've certainly hit the ground running. Or actually, I should say sprinting," Ms Bruinsma replies in an apparent joke.

When two young graduates meet in the corridor, one announces: "Hey buddy! Sorry, I've got to do that every time - it's because we're in the buddy program!"

Government tenders obtained by Fairfax Media show the Commonwealth department is spending $37,400 with ad agency Together Creative, which describes itself as a "famously good creative agency" that develops "head-turning campaigns".

However, the department said the video only cost $4000 to produce, and the remaining money would be spent on other marketing projects.

Together Creative declined to comment until they had discussed the matter with the department. The agency has also produced a series of recruitment videos for the Department of Social Services.

Advertising experts rounded on the ad as a disaster that would not help the department recruit new talent.

"It's truly terrible," said Dee Madigan, creative director of the Labor-linked agency Campaign Edge. "I always say real people are terrible at playing real people. No one will watch that to the end.

"It's probably one of the worst recruitment videos I've ever seen.

"This idea that you have to show the target market to appeal to them is incorrect. Having people in situ having fake conversations has very little cut through. If you actually need real people in an ad, you cast actors.

"The execution is atrocious. The only thing worse than the execution are the performances.

"Any department that approved that ad, you just wouldn't want to work for. They should be asking for their money back."

Consumer psychologist Adam Ferrier said the ad was cringeworthy and "unfortunate" given the time and money that went into the campaign.

"This I'm pretty sure would make many people who work in Finance cringe," he said.

"People need to realise that everything, everything communicates. From the length of the video, the low production values, the cliched language - it all communicates."

In a statement, the Department of Finance said the campaign aimed to reflect "the variety of work, cultural and social experience [graduates] can expect when joining the department".

"Attracting and selecting a strong, highly capable and diverse graduate cohort is an important part of our workforce strategy," it said.

"The young graduates used some of their own words to reflect their own experiences."

Graduate applications open on Thursday.