Soft skills like communication and adaptability are often called 'essential' in job postings, but I've seen hiring managers consistently pick candidates with hard technical skills over those with better people skills. In my last team, the most technically brilliant developer struggled to collaborate, yet he got promoted because his code shipped faster. Can we really say soft skills matter more than hard skills when real promotions and salaries tell a different story? I'm not denying they help, but maybe we overrate them in hiring talk.