Are You Talking to a Recruiter?

You may be talking to some hiring professional, someone in h r, recruiter, candidate placemen. Those are people you shouldn't mind bothering. It's their job to make this process efficient. They deliver value to the company when they bring in good candidates. You're collaborators in this regard. A good person in that role, will even tell you very clearly when you're out rather than drag things along as some companies will do.