Today we’d like to introduce you to Akea Collins.
Hi Akea, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started this journey like many others — uncertain, frustrated, and determined to figure it out. After medically retiring from the Army, I found myself in a completely new battlefield: the civilian job market. I submitted over 250 applications, sometimes even more, and still, silence. No calls. No interviews. Just rejection… or worse, being ignored.
That’s when I had to stop and ask myself: What am I doing wrong? So I rolled up my sleeves and started researching what a resume really is, beyond just a list of jobs. I dove into formatting, keywords, storytelling, and personal branding. I studied what made hiring managers pause. And slowly, I began to crack the code.
Once I got the hang of it, something sparked in me. I realized it wasn’t just about me anymore. There were others — especially the senior class of 2019 — who were struggling too. They had potential, but no one taught them how to show it. So I launched Interview Me Now, a passion project to teach interview etiquette and give students real tools they could take into the room with them. I ran training sessions that were raw, real, and empowering.
Then one day, one of those students came to me and said, “Can you help me write a resume?” That moment changed everything.
Fast-forward to the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic—while the world slowed down, my purpose picked up speed. That’s when The Resume Chop Shop was born. What started as a mission to help one student became a movement to help job seekers, career changers, and everyday professionals chop up, clean up, and glow up their resumes and confidence.
From Army boots to entrepreneurship, from rejection to redirection — I found my purpose in helping others find theirs. And I’ve never looked back.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Has it been a smooth road? Absolutely not — but every bump has taught me something.
When I first started, the biggest struggle was simply being seen. The job market was (and still is) saturated, especially for veterans and career changers. I was competing not just with other applicants but with systems—applicant tracking systems (ATS), unclear job descriptions, and companies that prioritized algorithms over actual people. It felt like you had to speak a whole new language to get a callback.
And once I started helping others, a new challenge popped up: competition. The career services space is crowded, and let’s be real — it got even louder when AI entered the scene. Now, people can ask a chatbot to write a resume in five seconds flat. But here’s the thing: a resume isn’t just about putting words on a page. It’s about telling your story in a way that connects — and AI can’t fully capture your soul, growth, or grit the way a real person who understands your journey can.
So, I leaned into what made me different: I knew what it was like to be overlooked, and I knew how it felt to start over. And I built my brand, The Resume Chop Shop, not just around formatting and buzzwords but around confidence, strategy, and authenticity.
The road has had its obstacles — from moments of doubt to dealing with copycats to watching clients choose free tools over real transformation. But every twist reminded me why I started: to help people win in rooms they weren’t even sure they belonged in.
And that’s a road I’ll keep walking, no matter how bumpy it gets.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Resume Chop Shop?
At The Resume Chop Shop, we don’t just “fix resumes” — we rebuild confidence, sharpen clarity, and help people step into their next chapter with power. We’re a career empowerment brand that specializes in resume reconstruction, interview coaching, and career clarity. Whether you’re transitioning out of the military, entering the workforce for the first time, changing industries, or re-entering after a break — we’re the pit stop you didn’t know you needed.
What sets us apart? We don’t do cookie-cutter. We chop it up — literally. Every resume is rebuilt from scratch, tailored to our client’s voice, industry, and unique story. We’re known for capturing who someone is beyond the bullet points — and helping them show up on paper the way they are in real life: bold, skilled, and ready.
We also provide real-world interview prep that goes deeper than rehearsed answers. We train our clients to own the room, speak with intention, and connect with their audience — because you’re not just answering questions, you’re telling a story with purpose.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud of how authentic and human our process is. We’re not just here to give you a resume — we’re here to equip you with tools and shift your mindset. Our clients walk away not just with a polished document, but with confidence in their own value. That’s what we do best.
So, if you’re tired of being ghosted by employers, if you’re feeling overlooked, or unsure how to package your experience, come to The Chop Shop. We don’t just make you look good on paper. We make you feel powerful in your purpose.
How do you think about happiness?
What makes me happy? Client wins. Hands down. There’s no better feeling than watching someone go from doubting themselves to owning their greatness — especially when the world has told them they’re not qualified, not ready, or not enough.
One of my favorite success stories — and the one that still gives me chills — is about a client who came to me with no degree, making around $90K. She was brilliant, experienced, and driven, but like many people, she didn’t know how to package her worth. She had been overlooked time and time again, thinking that without that piece of paper, she’d always be capped.
We rebuilt her resume from the ground up. We rewrote her story, highlighted her impact, and tailored her brand to align with executive leadership. We trained for the interview, practiced presence and positioning — and she killed it. At just 35 years old, she was offered a Regional Director role at a prominent fiber optics company making $240K.
That kind of transformation? That’s what fuels me. It’s not just about the money — it’s about changing the narrative. Helping people walk into rooms where they once felt excluded and command respect because of what they bring to the table.
So what makes me happy? Empowering everyday people to see what’s already inside them — and then showing the world exactly who they are. That’s the heart of The Resume Chop Shop. That’s why I do this.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theresumechopshop.com
- Instagram: theresumechopshop
- Facebook: theresumechopshop
