I did my Master's degree in materials science in 2013. I eventually wanted to pursue a pursue a PhD, so I stayed at home and started applying for positions.
However, I managed to join a position in September 2014, a year from getting the masters degree. So, there's a gap of 1 year in my resume.
Now, I have completed my PhD and am searching for positions with both industry and academia. Though I have not got any interview scheduled yet, I was wondering what would I say incase an interviewer asks me the gap year.
I know that this is going to be a big problem for securing a job. How to tackle this effectively? What to say when the question arises?
Additional information: There's more to it. I had worked in an research and development company for 4 months (from July to October 2013) post graduation from my masters. But, I had to leave it as I did not find the work suitable. I did not finish the probation period, so did not get any experience letter. That's equivalent to not having a job.
I was supposed to join a lab in an university as a research fellow immediately after. But, that did not happen as I got sick for 3 months. Eventually, when I did get the PhD position, it was already January 2014 and the position was supposed to start in September 2014. So, I couldn't just join a company for such a short time and leave it. I spent the rest of the time spending time with my family and traveling.