Explained per part › Inbox case
Inbox case
You spend a few minutes in a simulated mailbox of a fictional company. For each email or task you choose what to do. The answer follows from the company’s rules and from who is in which team. Recognising phishing is part of it.
HireVue Virtual Job Tryout (e.g. Shell, 2026). Inbox exercises also appear at assessment days.
How to solve it
Rules: (1) own team: email directly; (2) other team: first that team’s manager; (3) suspicious email: report to IT. You are in Finance. You need figures from Tom. On the staff list: Tom, Operations, analyst; the manager of Operations is Lisa.
- Look up Tom: he is in Operations, not in your team.
- Rule 2 applies: first his team’s manager.
- That manager is Lisa, not your own manager.
Answer: Ask Lisa for permission first. Then email Tom.
Try it yourself
1. Same rules. An email from “IT Support <it@northwind-help.net>” asks you to confirm your password via a link. The company’s real domain is northwind-energy.com. What do you do?
- Report it to IT
- Click the link to have a look
- Reply and ask whether it is genuine
- Forward it to your team as a warning
Show the answer
A. Wrong domain and a request for your password: phishing. Do not click, reply or forward; do report it.
2. Your teammate Eva (also Finance) asks for yesterday’s slides. What do you do?
- Send Eva the slides
- First ask your manager for permission
- Report it to IT
- First ask the manager of Operations
Show the answer
A. Eva is in your own team. Rule 1: help directly.
3. You need an overview from Lisa, the manager of Operations. What do you do?
- Email Lisa directly
- First ask your own manager for permission
- Ask Tom to pass it on to Lisa
- Report it to IT
Show the answer
A. Rule 2 says: first that team’s manager. Lisa is that manager, so you email her directly.
Tips
- For every name, look up which team the person is in. The whole exercise turns on that.
- You may usually email another team’s manager directly.
- For phishing: look at the domain after the @, not at the sender’s name.
- Not everything is phishing. A normal email from an IT colleague without a link or request is simply genuine.
Practise with new questions: Inbox case
Numbered practice tests with an explanation for every answer, plus interview and assessment day practice. No account needed.
Practise for free →This page was created with the help of AI based on public sources and may contain errors. Always check dates and requirements with the company. Updated: 8 October 2026.