Speed up Time Before Interview?

Hey Guys,

I've applied to a number of places, including a hedge funds, consulting firms, and even Google through friends within the companies. I've got around 4 of these where my contact has gotten back to me saying they've talked to the hiring manager or HR and the company is interested in talking to me and will set up a phone screening soon.

But that was almost a month ago. I've checked in with my friends and they've said they'll look into it, and one said their hiring people are just totally backed up. I realize the job market is flooded with a lot of pretty well-qualified people sending out their applications to anything and everything right now, and that probably accounts for most of the delays.

However, I don't have all the time in the world to wait for them all. Is it possible to get them to speed up somehow? Would they speed up if I had an offer from another firm?