"Selfies" are all the rage and the do-it-yourself crowd is bigger than ever, so it's hardly any surprise that the "pre-verified" background check is now gaining currency.

Simply put, background screening companies now increasingly sell their services directly to job applicants. The screening company checks the same type of information employers would look at – education, work history, criminal records. The applicant can then present the pre-verified results to prospective employers.

According to a Society for Human Resource Management survey, 96 percent of HR professionals say their companies perform background checks on potential employees, so it makes plenty of sense for screening companies to try to market themselves directly to job-seekers. But does it really make sense for job-seekers?