This question comes up when the interviewer finds something interesting and out of ordinary in the resume. Some examples could be a job that could be unrelated to what you are seeking or a job that lasted only for some months or in some cases, the outright gap between TWO CONSEQUENT jobs. Here, HR wants to make sure that the gaps are not due to any red flags.

Sample answer:

After the completion of my bachelor’s degree, I started working continuously for 8 years without taking any BREAK. This sort of impacted my productivity and also harmed my work-life balance. Hence, I decided to take a break of 6 months to CLEAR my mind, make amends with my family, and also do solo travel to DIFFERENT places. I also gained some lessons during this break such as the importance of work-life balance, organizational ability, and a fresh new perspective on life.