You could always say that you had a family situation you had to take care of, or a personal issue. You don't have to elaborate. If they press, you can always say that you were taking care of a sick relative (technically you were!). Don't make a big deal out of it. Then just say that you are ready to get back into the workforce now. Boom! Done. Hope this helps. :)

In this day, a small gap in employment is not as serious as it used to be. Make sure you can shore up the reasons for leaving the last permanent job. The medical issue of why you were not working is confidential and you need to protect that. If you believe you must disclose something I would recommend a simple statement of personal time off to assess and redirect your career goals. There are numerous protections from inquiring about health issues. If any employer violates this protection it is a good indication to decline them and move on to more reputable companies.

I have been recruiting for 20 yrs and this comes up all the time in my world and it's no big deal. 1) 6 months is not long to be out of work- especially if you had a few years at a company prior to this time off. Candidates may start seeing problems at 1 year off unless they have a great story behind it. Here is MY opinion.... it's ok for a candidate to talk to me as a recruiter frankly about their troubles etc., but I do not want my candidate speaking to my client with no filter until the candidate and myself have discussed this. Myself, I do not mention "personal issues" if I don't have to. I will never lie but I will represent my candidate in a favorable light and the problem with "some personal issues" is this (and don't take this wrong), it opens up a pandora's box of ideas in hiring managers head. of what kind of personal issues someone has had.
Myself, I would tell anybody I talked to that I had taken a few months off after my last position and ready to start asap! The next question a recruiter will ask you is why did you leave your last job (and they will listen hard to this answer for fumbling around and nervousness- just be short, sweet, no big deal. This is more of something to be concerned about- why did you leave your last role? Did you quit to attend to your medical needs, or were you terminated? Are you in a re-hiable status with your last company? If not, why?

So, without knowing how you left I can't coach you as well as I like. Recruiters like succinct answers and when candidates start into long explanations it raises our antenna. Just answer these questions short and sweet and positive and keep the conversation smooth and moving along.

I'm not sure this helped but I am trying to help a bit without knowing more details. Hoping you the best!!!!!

Todd

Been there done that!!! Just tell them you have been searching and working on yourself and skillsets in the mean-time. Take some walks, see the beauty out there and maybe listen to some free work related pod-casts or go to some free online seminars related to your work. Then you can talk about what you've been learning and you'll feel more excited about your search. Remember, you are NOT alone... There are thousands of us looking for our new work home... Try to stay positive and it will come!!!

Be honest, it always works. You don't need to go deep in detail but a sketchy story may sow seeds of something fishy, your best chance to make that 1st impression

If you were able to stay out of the poor house for six months, I'm not sure it would matter. Just because you are not employed it doesn't mean you are not getting things done. It is a myth that a lot of HR people have which is used to cover for their inability to see an applicant for who they are. I was out of work for 1.25 years and happen to be financially savvy to make it without a regular job. I do know that it is easier to get hired when you are already working, but that is the game that inept people play. You do not know what the person out of work accomplished, and if you go with average people, yes they may be up to no good during those times and may be bad for the company. My periods of unemployment although baffling, have produced some productive achievements. When they ask why I was unemployed, I think to myself, am I in elementary school and need a note for my absences?

When experiencing gaps in your resume' you need to be creative but truthful. You were self-employed for a time and realized that it was not for you. If you have children, you took time to be with your family or you could just tell them that you took time off for health reasons and explain during the face-to-face interview.

Don't give more information than needed. I have many medical conditions where I have been out of work for months, but I am never unemployed. I have an IT, photography, pet care and real estate company, I set this up several years ago when the economy went down hill. I recommend everybody do something like this, that way you can say you are employed no matter what, my wife runs everything, but I come up with the ideas. You can get your own domain name from Google for $12/yr and a professional email address for that domain for $5/mo. So no gaps in my employment, and I can get my regular job in cyber security any time I want it. Get some IT education, many courses available online for free, the lowest positions pay about $40,000/yr, work your way up and easy to make over $100,000/yr. Don't ever give up.

I was off a year, and just recently got another job, during my interview the question didn't come up, but I did actually tell them I just wanted some time off to spend with my family and find the job that was best for me. Understanding its a question that might come up just a simple question is the best. Hope that helps

All you really should state is that for the time not worked you were experiencing health issues. Nothing more nothing less if asked during an interview for more reasons you explain your situation or simply state that the matter without giving too much information.