After college, Coll wrote general-interest articles for California magazine.

In 1985, he started working for The Washington Post as a general assignment feature writer for the paper's Style section.
Two years later, he was promoted to serve as the financial correspondent for the newspaper, based in New York City.
He and David A. Vise collaborated on a series of reports scrutinizing the Securities and Exchange Commission for which they received the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting and the Gerald Loeb Award for Large Newspapers.
In 1989, he moved to New Delhi, when he was appointed as the Post's South Asia bureau chief.
He served as a foreign correspondent through 1995.

Coll began working for the newspaper's Sunday magazine insert in 1995, serving as publisher of the magazine from 1996 to 1998.
He was promoted to managing editor of the newspaper in 1998 and served in that capacity through 2004.
He has also served as an associate editor for the newspaper from late 2004 to August 2005.

In September 2005, Coll joined the writing staff of The New Yorker.
Based in Washington, D.C., he reported on foreign intelligence and national security.
After college, Coll wrote general-interest articles for California magazine.
In 1985, he started working for The Washington Post as a general assignment feature writer for the paper's Style section. Two years later, he was promoted to serve as the financial correspondent for the newspaper, based in New York City. He and David A. Vise collaborated on a series of reports scrutinizing the Securities and Exchange Commission for which they received the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting and the Gerald Loeb Award for Large Newspapers. In 1989, he moved to New Delhi, when he was appointed as the Post's South Asia bureau chief. He served as a foreign correspondent through 1995.
Coll began working for the newspaper's Sunday magazine insert in 1995, serving as publisher of the magazine from 1996 to 1998. He was promoted to managing editor of the newspaper in 1998 and served in that capacity through 2004. He has also served as an associate editor for the newspaper from late 2004 to August 2005.
In September 2005, Coll joined the writing staff of The New Yorker. Based in Washington, D.C., he reported on foreign intelligence and national security.
Steve Coll