Many companies will hire former interns as regular employees. The best way to ensure that your interns want to return to work for your company after graduation is by giving them the best internship experience possible.

Below are 10 things that Dr. John Sullivan of San Francisco State University, in his article "Internships: Recruiting the Very Best College Interns," suggests that companies can do to give their interns memorable experiences:

1. Provide meaningful work: College students use internships to complement their education. Instead of treating them like student helpers, treat them like temporary skilled employees who happen to be going to college. The best internships allow students to do more than just file documents, make photocopies and fetch coffee.

2. A chance to complete a project: Tailor your internships to allow interns to work on a particular project and present the finished product to you the same way a regular employee would. This is a great way to make a student want to come back, says Dr. Sullivan.

3. Avoid bad managers: Interns, like regular employees, need to work for managers who are going to be considerate of their needs. Question your interns to discover which managers aren't working out, then make sure that those managers are no longer permitted to supervise interns.

4. The latest technology: Create an internship program that allows interns to work with cutting edge technology that they haven't yet had a chance to use.

5. An opportunity to make a difference: Many students want to have a social impact as well as a professional one. If possible, find a way to incorporate some type of community service opportunity into your internship program.

6. A chance to work with senior executives: What could be more exciting for a college intern than to have the opportunity to work on a project with a company executive? This goes far beyond the standard meet and greet session where a hand shake and a smile are the extent of their relationship with the company's upper echelon. The best internships not only ask interns who they would like to meet, but who they would like to work with directly as well, Dr. Sullivan says.

7. A great location: International internship requests are increasing because, let's face it, a great locale is icing on the cake of an exciting internship.

8. A mentor: A peer mentor - no more than three to five years older than the intern - is a wonderful way to make a college student feel comfortable during an internship; students who feel comfortable are more likely to return for another internship or a job.

9. Diversity: Hiring candidates from various backgrounds is vital and your competitors know this, so be prepared to adapt to the needs of interns with special needs. Your consideration will increase your odds of being added to their list of potential employers after graduation.

10. How much fun?: Although great internships offer fun activities for interns to participate in, they also keep in mind that students use internships to improve their skill set, gain networking contacts, and flesh out their resumes. If all they recall of their internships is fun and games, they'll go away feeling empty and will be unlikely to return.

The pressure is on to attract the best interns and new hires from the best colleges and universities, says Dr. Sullivan. If you're willing to adapt your internship program to meet the needs of your most desirable candidates, you'll most likely be able to hire some of the best and brightest recent college graduates year after year.