Why Apollo Global Management: Interviews, Careers, & Portfolio

Apollo Global Management Overview

Apollo Global Management, Inc. is a private equity firm which provides capital management services and invests in real assets, private equity, and credit.

Aside from its private funds, Apollo also operates Apollo Investment Corporation (AIC) which provides senior secured loans, mezzanine debt, and equity investments to middle-market companies.

Apollo focuses on three investing strategies:

1. Yield – the firm’s Yield business covers private and public markets, providing capital and lending solutions for growth.

2. Hybrid – their Hybrid business provides companies with debt solutions and flexible equity at scale and invests in all market environments.

3. Equity – the firm’s Equity business is focused on value-oriented opportunities where they can drive operational and financial performance to grow companies.

Apollo, originally called Apollo Advisors, was founded by Leon Black after Drexel Burnham Lambert collapsed in 1990. Within six months, Apollo launched Apollo Investment Fund L.P., its first PE investment funds, to support distressed companies.

The firm was able to raise around $400M of capital commitments with the help of Leon Black’s reputation as a key player in the buyout boom of the 1980s.

Apollo is headquartered in New York City, with additional offices across North America,  Asia, and Europe.

On March 29, 2011, Apollo made its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange with ticker symbol APO. Shares of the firm opened at $18.70 — down from their IPO price of $19 — and were trading at $18.62 by midday. Apollo was able to raise $408.5 million from the offering on Tuesday evening.

Apollo Global Management AUM

According to most recent regulatory filings, Apollo Global Management has $427.1 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2023.

Apollo Global Management Interview Process & Questions

Firms tend to make changes in their interview process for each candidate. However, if you interview at Apollo Global Management (or a similar firm), you’ll most likely experience the following:

• ~4-6 rounds of interviews
• Junior investment professionals or the HR team supervising the initial rounds, while the more senior staff handle the later rounds
• Interview process that could take several weeks (unless it is “on-cycle” or “on-campus” recruiting)

Also, expect to receive a combination of behavioral questions, fit questions, and technical / investing questions when you interview at Apollo Global Management.

For comprehensive interview preparation resources, I highly recommend you check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Why Apollo Global Management

Firms want to know whether the candidate has a solid reason behind the application and not simply sending their resume to any firm with vacancies.

That’s why the question “Why this firm?” almost always comes up during the interview.

If you’ve done networking, this is your chance to mention whoever you’ve met and how their experience inside the firm, professional growth, and empowering attitude positively influenced your decision to apply.

It’s also a good practice to do some research about the firm before showing up at the interview. For this, I’d recommend listening to talks or interviews with the firm’s founders, investors, and employees.

Here’s an excellent interview with Marc Rowan, CEO and Co-Founder of Apollo Global Management:

More interviews

• Interview with Leon Black, Chairman of Apollo Global Management
• Apollo Global Managing Director Jonathan Simon on the War for Talent

Apollo Global Management Case Study

Interviewees almost always have to perform a case study during interviews. Firms often use case studies to evaluate the communication skills and technical knowledge of each candidate.

Most case studies at firms like Apollo Global Management often revolve around investment recommendations and financial modeling. But for junior roles, a cold calling case study may also be required.

I’ve tackled case studies in great detail inside my Growth Equity Interview Guide. Feel free to check it out.

Apollo Global Management Salary & Compensation

As per Glassdoor’s public data, the estimated total pay for analysts and associates who work at Apollo Global Management is $109,074 and $129,400 per year, respectively. These figures represent the median and can still vary depending on the candidate’s level of experience, education, and skill set.

Analyst

Associate

From other publicly available data, recent analysts have earned $110,000 per year while recent associates have earned $290,000 per year at Apollo Global Management.

Apollo Global Management Careers, Jobs, & Internships

To view job vacancies at Apollo Global Management, head over to our job board where we feature open roles for them and other similar firms.

Apollo Global Management Portfolio & Investments

According to Crunchbase, Apollo Global Management made 77 investments since inception and has 13 funds. Some of the firm’s notable deals are Goodman Global, Rackspace Technology, and Coldwell Banker.

Notable Transaction: CAIS

CAIS is one of the best platforms for financial advisors who want to access and learn more about alternative investment funds and products.

The platform provides a broad range of investment options such as private equity, hedge funds, digital assets, real estate, and more. This enables advisors to take advantage of opportunities and adapt to ever changing markets.

On January 11, 2022, CAIS announced that it has received $225 Million from a funding round led by Apollo and Motive Partners, with additional financial support from Franklin Templeton.

This investment helped CAIS to fast track their modernization of how financial advisors access alternative investments. The fund was also allocated for technology advancement, improving customer experience, and exploring opportunities.

Next Steps

Apollo Global Management, Inc. is truly a remarkable firm to build and grow your career in finance. That said, you can expect a tight competition when they open promising roles at the firm.

To help you gain a competitive edge, I highly suggest you check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

It’s a self-paced online course which will show you everything you need to learn in growth equity investing so you can stand out during the interview process and increase your chances of getting selected for the role.

Get the course and start learning today!