Depending on the technical level of the job, your experience may or may not need to be tightly related to exactly what you will be doing.  I have found that the less technical the position, the more flexible a hiring manager will be in filling the position.  For instance, if the data management position you are applying for is heavily in the analysis field, experience as a business analyst is very closely related, and thus you would likely be a good fit for the position.  It is your job to convince the hiring manager that indeed your experience is relevant and closely related, and that you can walk right into the job with a solid understanding of what needs to be done.

You can do this by relating all of your past experience with the different items that are listed in the job description.  I also highly recommend that you use specific examples of how you performed a task, rather than speaking generally.  For instance, “I have a large amount of experience performing historical data analysis and data management.  I’ve been doing it for years” is not the best way to talk about this.  Instead, use a specific example to hammer the point home, such as, “I’ve been doing data analysis and management for many years.  A few years ago, my team and I used a data analysis tool to help us determine the best target market for our new product using industry trending and data.  Recently, we developed a model that uses historical data to help guide the decision making process for our marketing group”.  When you use strong scenarios, and demonstrate innovation and success, you become a memorable and desirable candidate to the hiring manager.

Data Management jobs also come in many different forms.  You can find jobs working directly for a company, or working for a consulting firm such as IBM, Accenture, KPMG and others to help perform data management tasks for their clients.  Additionally, there is no medium to large industry that does not have a need for data management.  From the obvious fields, such as medical, aerospace, and government, to the smaller industries such as professional sports, radio marketing, and online collaboration – all of these use and need data management. I suggest you seek out positions in fields that you are particularly interested in; doing this will ensure that you are enthusiastic about not just the job, but also the interview.  This will come across positively to the interviewer.  I wish you the best of luck in your hunt for a data management job.